He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.
The teacher quotes Napoleon even though my attention is more focused on looking at the posters on the wall than hearing about the French Revolution. It's my senior year and it's time for me to plan my future, but this second period class is not really useful, except for the opportunity that it gives me to travel around the world with just a blink. The 32 posters display different spots from the seven continents. The ones in front of me are Puerto Rico, the historical Berlin, Milan, the capital of fashion, London, Taipei and Kanazawa, a Japanese city also known as the golden swamp. From my point of view, everybody, before choosing their career, has to decide where they want to live. Indeed that's my dilemma. How am I supposed to know what my future job could be, if I don't even have the idea of where I will go. I surely cannot point at the globe and pick a city randomly! The bell rings and luckily third period seemed faster than the previous two. Today I'm having lunch with Brian, my best friend, who not only has a vivid and spotless image of his future, but he has already been accepted into Pennsylvania University, which has one of the best premedical programs in the country. He's walking towards me and his lips are about to move, but I don't give him the chance.
"Brian I'm getting concerned about my future. What if I never find my path?... Sometimes I feel like a fish in the bowl, surrounded by water that blinds me and makes me deaf and I'm not able to catch what's around me"
"You are too melodramatic! Your hyperbolic vision of it all doesn't fit a 17yr old kid's life”.
"I'm just being honest about my feelings."
"Hold on, I got it! It was so easy”
"What was "so easy"?"
As I speak his eyes sparkle and a 32 teeth smile is stuck on his face.
"You have to transform your fish bowl into your future bowl!"
"...I beg you pardon?"
"Empty the bowl of water and fill it with post-it. Then write names of cities down, shake the bowl and pick one! We can both choose fourteen places and afterwords put them in and..."
"Brian, your bright mind has just lit up my day if not my future's path. You are a genius!"
We decided to meet up after dinner at my house to be together for the first travel-pick. When Brian was planning this perceptive and original idea, I could bet that he would choose that cities' number. My best friend is certain that at 28yr he will be married with two kids (the third is for his 30's), and be head of surgery in the hospital he will be working in. I'm aware that he is too ambitious, but I admire him for his remarkable confidence and determination. We all should be a little more like Brian sometimes.
It is 9:19 pm and the door's bell has just rung. My heart is pounding so hard that I can feel my temples pulsing. Brian added his post-it and shake the bowl. Now it is my turn. All the bets are off. As I grab the cold glass bowl with my left hand I tremble, probably due to my every-place-that-I-am-going-to-pick-will-be-the-first-step-towards-my-future-life fear, and not to the icy feel of the bowl. My right hand is mixing up the sticky notes and at their touch my mind is making up every possible scenario that can happen after this first choice. I picked it. I have it in my hand. It is the showdown. Brian and I are looking at each other with a eager and tense sight. That loud silence was overwhelming, since he broke it down asking me, "Are you ready?”. I am staring at my right fist, which is holding my first destination. I glance at him and again my attention is laid on my hand.
"I am" and then I opened it.
At first my eyes were sealed up, because I was terrified to read the city's name. Now they are narrowed and I can barely see some non-focused letters. I am able to hear Brian’s encouragement thoughts; he is as nervous as I am. I keep repeating in my mind "Just do it, do it! You are not going to regret it, it is your time, your moment and you are ready to show this world what you can achieve. Now unfold it!".
Here I am, sitting in front of my best friend with our legs crossed; he is intensely watching as my future is introduced to me. While I am reading it a scent of cardamom is overpowering; following this a tumeric, saffran, cumin, cinnamon and red chili smell are added. I can already see the colors standing out in both clothes and building. Orange, yellow, green, red, blue and saffron. The vibrant 7th largest country in the world with a multicultural mosaic.
 India, I am on my way.