Chinese Proverb

April 19, 2014 at 5:08 am • Posted in Education, Inspiration, Learnings by Yve

On this trip there are no desks. No bells and set times. No Monday blues and late night, last minute to-dos. No teachers—or at least in the conventional way.

I had always accepted when people would say, “it’s the best education you could ever have,” because it seemed true, though now I’m actually starting to understand why. Yeah a trip around the world definitely beats boring textbooks and sitting in a chair hours a day, listening to a teacher drone on, but as I look back at the trip and what I’ve learned, all I see are moments. It may not be the most academic, but events can teach you, whether you know it or not. A famous Chinese proverb states that “teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself”. Maybe that’s where you come in. Taking those events and learn to find the meaning behind it, whether it be minuscule or monumental. Maybe that’s where you have to enter by yourself. Just like in a regular class room, the teacher can teach you myriads of things but the teacher can’t absorb it for you. You have to take that final step and actually go for it, understand it, and use it.

Turning on the faucet in the bathroom sink still half asleep, I find no water running out. Getting lost in mazes of winding, condensed streets surrounded by bulbously exhausted buildings, I only have a clue as to which direction is which. With bare feet I begin ascending the steep steps of a pagoda in pitch black and arrive on top to sit quietly as the sun awakes. Before this trip I’m not sure I would’ve called these moments teachers, but that’s exactly what they are. I’m still learning and still trying to walk through that door, but I certainly know that you don’t need to go traveling for a year to figure out that we’re all students, with our own daily events teaching us each and every day. It’s never too late. The teaching never stops, it’s only you who stops.

Sunrise in Myanmar

Picture I took on the Great Wall!

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Cari Johnson / April 21, 2014 at 3:34 am /

Lovely Yve. You taught me a lot on my trip. Elegant and regal as usual.
- Yve / April 21, 2014 at 7:08 am /
  
  So happy to hear that Cari, thank you!! Still can’t believe you were brave enough to jump into the craziness… you gotta learn fast when hanging out with this gang 😉
  - Cari Johnson / April 21, 2014 at 9:09 am /
    
    I still have to get my blog post done. I am racing to finish before Wescott. LOL 😉
ashley winnie / April 21, 2014 at 7:53 am /

That was beautiful Yve! Prolific!
Cliff Sharples / April 21, 2014 at 8:04 am /

Very nicely done Yve, and so true. You never know where your “teachers” are going to come from, but you are most certainly one of mine.
- Yve / April 21, 2014 at 8:12 pm /
  
  Thanks dad, can’t wait to learn more with you in Bali !!
Stephanie Craig / April 21, 2014 at 2:51 pm /

Dad said it nicely. Your words are inspiring and your photos make me smile. The great wall looks amazing and the sunrises are always a favorite. Wish I was sitting next to you so we could learn together — for now I’ll plug in and learn from a far.
- Yve / April 21, 2014 at 8:14 pm /
  
  Aww thanks so much Steff! I miss you xx you’ve taught me a lot over the years
Jenn McIntire / April 21, 2014 at 5:43 pm /

You are wise beyond your years, Yve! Great blog post.
Vanessa / April 22, 2014 at 11:08 am /

Beautiful, inspirational post, Yve. What a writer you’re becoming.
Kaarina / April 22, 2014 at 5:44 pm /

You and this other deep thinker impress me!

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” – Einstein

Miss you!
- Yve / April 22, 2014 at 8:23 pm /
  
  Whoa, can’t believe I made it in the same sentence as Einstein ! Haha thanks Kaarina can’t wait to see you and the others in Bali