The One and Only

The Claire Marie

Hello again! I know you've probably read the introductory post that appears at the top of every page, but in an attempt to keep that brief (have you read it? even I might have to disagree) I thought I'd use my first official post at this blog to elaborate.

My name is Claire Marie. I am currently a law student down here in Miami, Florida, but I originally hail from St. Louis, Missouri (well, let's not get technical...the greater STL area at least should suffice).

I graduated from a college in Missouri in 2006 at 21, embarked on a trip of a lifetime (but who says we only need to have one of those??) shortly thereafter (3 days after graduation to be exact), had to decide while I was hiding in a stone doorway to escape the rain in Switzerland whether or not I would be attending lawschool in the fall, and in the late summer of 2006 my dad and brothers moved me down here to Miami. And here is where I sit writing this post for you, in my overpriced apartment in the suburbs and shadows of South Beach.

I adore traveling. Its more than adoration, it is so important to my sustance that it is ingrained in my being.
Okay, thats a bit strong, but let me elaborate.
I am the eldest child of three. Growing up, there were the obligatory trips to Disney World and visiting extended family in Colorado (I was only 7 or 8 at the time, but I still remember the name of a resturant that impresssed me so much as a little girl that should I ever visit Denver again, I'd have to look it up). But my world finally opened up when my parents took us on our first vacation outside of the United States. I was in middle school (11 yrs. old or so) when the five of us embarked on our first ever journey outside the country. It was shocking. I remember sitting in silence, feeling mute. Not knowing how to feel about the things I was seeing---the poverty and the military presence versus the sheer beauty of our resort and the jungle that surrounded it, both unlike any other I had experienced. All I knew was that I was hooked. The food, the music, the architecture and its harmony with its ocean border, the people: their religion and their language. The way of life. My family and I returned to Mexico twice more to vacation.
At 16 and a junior in high school, I was presented by my choir teacher with a double opportunity: to travel to New York City for spring break and to Rome, Paris, and London shortly after the school year ended. I had to go. I had to. So I lined up the materials and approached my parents about Europe first. The three of us sat together at the kitchen table and I presented my case. In a family where a "yes" is never handed out without much deliberation, the permission to go was almost instant. I was astounded and estatic. Not wanting to push my luck, I left NYC tucked in my back pocket for a while. Eventually I approached them both at the kitchen table again, and the immediate answer was "no". There were a myriad of excuses, none of which I was ready to settle for. I was working as a telemarketer for an insurance agent at the time, and although I was only paying for 1/3 of the Europe trip, I decided that if I worked enough hours I could live up to that deal and pay for the spring break excursion entirely on my own. That still wasn't enough to change their minds. I had to resort to leaving my dad voicemail messages singing "give my regards to broadway" (I knew that I could win him over with emotional tactics much easier than my mother) and giving him constant, but gentle, reminders and notes of how much I wanted to go every single day for a couple of weeks. Finally I broke through. I worked my butt off to get the money to go, but I went on both of those trips and felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I had experienced and seen more than I had ever anticipated. As a child I was constantly reading about far away places and wonderous things, and when those things began to happen to me, I knew I would never be the same again without them.
In between that Europe trip in 2001 and my most recent visit in 2006, there was only one more trip (our last family vacation, to Jamaica), but I never lost the need. Even now, both here in Miami and at home in Missouri, I am constantly seeking out the ethnic groceries and Turkish coffee bars, Greek trattorias and French bakeries. I'll happily try anything once, enjoying the opportunity to soak up as much of a culture as possible during my stays; I am proud of my so-called-eclectic tastes.

But I'm not done yet. I'm not done learning, I'm not done exploring...experiencing. I haven't conquered all yet, and I know I never can. But I won't give up trying. I need to make it to the far east and feel the cold of a Russian winter. I need to venture down under and see that which is visible from space and our eyes alike. I need to continue to see the world as we were meant to see it. And I need to share it.

I think I've explained as well as can be done in one sitting my love affair with travel and culture. It was silly of me to think I could sum myself up in one post. So consider this the first of what I am sure will be several; I'll label/tag them as "about me" when I decide to give it another go.

For now, goodnight sweet someones.