Bidoup Núi Bà National Park, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
In front of the Arc de Triomf, Barcelona. Spain
Barcelona, Spain
Serenity is often equated with sanity. Finding peace in our crazy, busy daily lives is often how we manage to push through and see the bright side of life’s struggles. Serenity means different things to different people, and knowing how to find your version of serenity is invaluable.
The first photo was taken at Bidoup Núi Bà National Park in Vietnam. Our first group member had gotten up at 5 in the morning for a hike in hopes of seeing the sunrise from a peak in the national park. While there were no bright yellow and orange skies, the park’s beauty shone when the sun came out and sprawled through the trees around 7am. Birds were chirping and gibbons were singing. The beauty of the park felt surreal and spiritual. This is when our group member feels the most at peace: surrounded by nature, with no distractions, just listening to the sounds of the wild.
The second photo is from the same group member, but it displays a contrasting aspect of their view of serenity. In Vietnam, the main form of transportation is motorbike. Vietnam has multiple companies, such as Grab, that function like Uber but focus on motorbike rides. Grab rides have become a daily activity for our group member, as they use them to get to school and travel. Their morning and afternoon commutes have become things to look forward to. It’s an amazing feeling to speed throughout the city, listening to the sounds of the other bikes, people chatting, and life going on. This particular photo is special to our group member because it was taken on a 45-minute motorbike ride back from a beautiful Buddhist temple, and vibrant sunsets have not been common during their time in Vietnam, likely because of the rainy season and pollution. So, in that moment, on the back of the motorbike riding towards the sunset, there was serenity.
Serenity is not only found through peace, but also through joy. Built as a gate to the 1888 Barcelona World Fair, the Arc de Triomf is one of Barcelona’s famous monuments, attracting tourists daily. In the third picture, our other group member chose to focus not on the monument, but on the people spectating it, which gives a fascinating perspective. A main subject of the photo is bubbles. Bubbles are often recognized as a source of joy, with children, and sometimes even adults, playing games to see how many they can blow or pop. The waving bubble stick in the photo captures the action of creating a source of joy, while the child in the bottom right corner embodies the joy of popping bubbles.
The last photo is also from our second group member. The photo is from a rooftop in Barcelona overlooking the city at night. Nighttime is often serene, especially while outside. Whether it’s a walk through the city or overlooking the shining lights from all the buildings, there is beauty in city nights. Being on a rooftop, whether it’s hanging out with friends or gazing alone, you can find serenity; serenity from the joy of being around other people, or serenity through the peacefulness of night. Being on a rooftop, there is also something serene about watching the people pass by below, being still as people scurry along and carry out their lives.