Traveling is my love, my life. It is what envelops and develops me. I think I have always been destined for lands unknown and for journeys within myself and among foreign places and people.
When I was a child I was drawn to globes and maps. There was nothing more beautiful as a depiction of the lands of the world. I would run my fingers along the concave and convex lines representing the borders of countries and of continents. Spinning our globe slowly at first and then more quickly I would stare until sea and land blurred into one, then with my eyes closed I would place my index finger on the globe to stop it. Opening my eyes I would discover the place I would one day go. What would it be like to live there, what were the people like, the food, the culture, the weather? Would I like it? More times than not, I would open my eyes to find myself in the middle of one of our oceans. I knew even at a young age that the probability of landing on an ocean was very likely…after all it makes up 70% of Earth. When I would see sea, my questions change to “would I be on a ship destined to a country nearby or thousands of feet above the water in an airplane?” Which country would I be headed to and which country had I left?
My first trip overseas was in high school with my history class. My AP history teacher had planned a trip of Italy and France—two countries that he had never been to, but was in love with and new the history of. I could not wait to go on this week and a half journey throughout Europe. Mr. Hobbs was both enthusiastic about the trip and full of knowledge. I was particularly looking forward to seeing Versailles, since I believed Mr. Hobbs knew more about it than the Sun King had himself. However, this wonderful history-filled trip was not meant to be. Mr. Hobbs’ cancer had returned and this time the cancer would win. I knew Mr. Hobbs would not want us to cancel the trip, so we found another teacher to take us. The trip changed from an educational point with an exuberant history-loving teacher to just being a high school trip. I was sick with the flu the whole time and I felt like the trip was “see Italy and France in 9 seconds” rather than 9 days. Even with all the downfalls, I knew that I loved traveling—but the next time I would not do a tour; I would stay for an extended amount of time and would go alone.
My next two trips overseas, I did go alone and I did stay for extended amount of times. I moved to Ansbach, Germany twice. Once for four months and a second time for three. There, I worked with children on a military post through a program called Camp Adventure. Both times were incredible. I met new friends and traveled on the weekends. Still I learned what I would do the next time I traveled overseas. While the program was great in that it paid for my airfare, gave me college credit, and a weekly living stipend, it was very limiting. We had curfews, check-ins, the buddy system, a no fly and a no drive restriction. I lived in Germany, but was confined to the U.S. military post unless other Camp Adventure interns wanted to venture out into the country.
My fourth time traveling overseas was a charm for me. Perhaps it was the luck of the Irish. I moved to Dublin after being accepted into the Ireland Exchange Opportunity. While there, I student taught at an extraordinary primary school, lived with humorous and kind-hearted Erasmus students, and explored Dublin to my heart’s content. Prior to going to Ireland, one of my aunts bought two Ireland travel books for me because she knew I would want to experience every inch of Ireland while I was there. The funny thing is that I read through both books on my way to Ireland, yet once in Dublin, I had little desire to leave. Yes, I wanted to see all of the Emerald Isle, however, first I wanted to discover Dublin. I spent four months not doing the touristy things, but becoming a Dubliner. Leisurely enjoying a drink at a café or pub(s), strolling in the city’s many parks like Merrion Square or Stephens Green, shopping on O’Connell Street or window shopping on Grafton Street, and attending my students’ concert at the National Concert Hall. I found my niche. I enjoyed the unhurried and unstressed air to both the workplace and life itself.
Traveling envelops me. It’s like an enormous embrace of culture, novelty, and beauty. I love how I feel comfortable when in unfamiliar settings. Traveling breaks down prejudices and makes me see how similar we all are while still learning about and accepting our differences.
Travel develops me. When I travel alone, I am forced out of my comfort zone. I can’t take my sweet time getting close to people. I can’t be shy like I normally am. I need to become gregarious and willing to get to know others. Each time I travel I open up a little more. These people I meet also have never known me, so I can become who I want to be. I am not changing who I am; I am merely highlighting the parts about my personality that I like. If I did this with friends I have known for a very long time, they may think I’m being fake or not the real me. Going to new places and meeting new people, I get to redefine myself. I can be the jokester, more assertive, more confident, and less shy person that is the real me.
No comments:
Post a Comment