Falling in Love…

You know that glimmer in your eyes when you find yourself deeply enamored? Everything feels new, everything exciting, like breathing again for the first time?

And that smile; ear to ear.

I’m starting to see it in one of my friends, but it’s not showing for a person. It’s showing for a place, a new culture, a new experience.

Colombia + Ken 4Ever

With NxTSTOP I’ve been given the incredible opportunity to invite strangers from around the world to come travel with me and document their experiences. Feel free to learn more about this and apply here.

This week I invited Ken Conklin, a business and fitness coach from the United States to get WAY out of his comfort zone and come join me in Colombia.

Ken’s an incredible relaxed and kind man with a motivational side that rivals that of a marine (see what I mean here). As someone with such an ingrained daily routine and a strict fitness regime I was nervous to see how his experience traveling through this colorful country would go.

So far he’s taken it in stride like nobody I’ve seen before; partaking in the culture, asking questions to understand it on a deeper level, and taking every opportunity to add more depth to his experience.

I’d like to mention that we’re about half way through our trip and he’s already thinking about extending his trip longer than we had planned; and we haven’t even visited my favorite city yet.

Experiences to Make You Fall in Love

I’d like to mention before I start here that I am not a big fan of Bogotá, this cold, rainy, and bustling city is definitely not for me. I was amazed to see Ken notice all the little things I wouldn’t have even thought about after spending so much time there.

As a fitness junkie, he found himself jumping and hurdling over obstacles in the street like a parkour pro. Bounding with energy to experience everything and everything all at once, I even saw him approach a few skaters on the street and ask if he could give it a try.

Surprisingly, Ken had some secret skate skills:

The Glimmer of New Experiences

I’m constantly hearing about Ken’s newfound love for this country and everything it has to offer, from the food to the people, and the little intricacies I don’t notice anymore.

It’s a reminder to me to always appreciate what surrounds you and to take new experiences in stride. We’ll never know how many of these moments we’ll have, and seeing the glimmer in Ken’s eyes reminds me to be thankful for every moment I get.

Aprovecha cada momento

Or as we’d say in english:

YOLO.