A Peaceful Place

There are few places I can say invoked peaceful feelings in me. It isn’t that I can’t find these places, but more that there is a certain connection in finding peace between you and a place. From what I’ve noticed, relaxing in a nice place, or reading a book by a river, for example, isn’t true peace. I take true peace as a disconnection from the conflict and constant flow of life and leaving them behind. If I can find a place, and truly forget about conflicts back in my day-to-day life, I think I’ve found peace for a while.


Of course, making that next step is difficult, because it takes self-initiative. It's also up to personal character of what kind of places you like. For me, this place is Lake Berryessa. Its located in Napa County, California, which is about an hour and a half away from where I used to live. Its known for the “Morning Glory Spillway”; a drainage system that appears like a black-hole, in water. The spillway is right next to the Monticello Dam, which was built in 1957.





About twice a year my family would go to Lake Berryessa to hike one of the toughest trails along the mountain and its ridge. Its provided me with some pretty but also frightening memories. For example, when you take the long route for the hike we’ve done, there's a point where you have to lean against the mountain with a path, overlooking a steep fall. Hiking would usually take the whole day, with several milestones that I remember to this day. One was an abandoned stone house, in a clearing full of autumn leaves and right next to a blue flowing river. Not one patch of dirt could be seen on the floor, because of the coat of leaves everywhere. We tended to stay here and rest.









I think of this lake as my most peaceful place because of one particular experience. One weekend, my dad, my brothers, and I stayed there overnight. My dad had a friend who owned a research post in the mountain, and we got to camp out in the usually restricted area. We even got his Gator (or small all-terrain car). It's hard to come up with memories that made me feel the same way I did then. We spent the day hiking in new areas, and I would sit in the back of the Gator while my dad drove us over and up mountain ridges. The wind blew all around me, and at points it felt like I was touching the sky. Ultimately, every minute was fun or awe-inspiring, which led to an incredible immersion that disconnected me from my regular life for a while. Therefore, I find this a peaceful place.

A Day in Osteburken

In the Summer of 2018, my family took a trip to Germany to visit my father’s parents and our cousins. We left for about a month and traveled from Southwestern Germany to Northern Italy. The picture above was taken in Osterburken, Baden-Wuttenberg. Baden-Wattenburg is one of the 15 states in Germany and is known to be the largest. My father’s cousin, Ditma, had a place there, with a large house and several warehouses. He started a business for home maintenance and basic repairs in the early 90s, and since then has been very successful. He is wearing a bright green shirt, next to my father, who also has a green shirt and glasses on.

It was pretty fascinating to be up close with Ditma’s business, and his sons who both held important positions as well. His sons are pictured behind the lady with a red shirt, Ditma’s mother. On the left, with a blue shirt, is Michael. On the right is Phillip, who is currently racing Go-Kart among the best in Germany. His girlfriend, Emily, is standing in front of him with a blue and white dress. She places even better in national Go-Kart racing, where she has placed top 5 in all of Germany. My brothers and I got the chance to race them, but it was over in a matter of moments. 

What made the trip to Osterburken special was seeing the change that had taken place there. We had gone there once before in 2010. Back then, my brothers and I would be driven in tiny wagons by Phillip in his tractor. We tried badminton and rolled up and down the hill near their house. We hiked in forests, and never stepped inside until it was pitch black out. I would pick berries deep in the forest and collect them for a cake and put snails on any wall I could see. At the end of the day, we would eat the cake, baked by my grandfather who has been a baker since he moved out at 13. I also remember looking up to Michael and Phillip, who were both starting high school at the time.

It was because of these drastic changes that I was able to reflect on myself. Seeing Phillip and Michael grow into hard-working students and help their father in their family business made me ask myself what I wanted to pursue in the future. It was ultimately the first time I had deeply considered what I wanted to do, and it troubled me at first. Ditma holds very high expectations for his sons, and so does my father for me. That said, I really enjoyed our day at Osterburken not only because of family but also because it offered a new perspective on my own future.