Well guys, I’m off on another adventure. I am headed to
Peru for four weeks, where I will be working and teaching in an orphanage. I,
of course, am very excited for this new adventure – new culture, new people,
new sights. Many people have asked me why I like traveling so much. In fact,
most people are surprised I would even go at all, let alone several times. I
guess I don’t come across as the adventurous type. I’ve been thinking about
this a lot lately and have decided that there are three main reasons why I have
a traveling addiction.
#1 The people
I love people. I love observing how people think and act
and have found that I am at my happiest when I am helping others. I love
meeting new faces, learning new customs, listening to their language, comparing
their culture to my own, and watching how people around the world live their
life. It is amazing to see that while there are some major differences between
people living in different countries, we are still all the same. Everyone has
needs and desires, hopes and dreams. I’ve learned to be respectful and
open-minded to new perspectives. I’ve also learned how to love and serve
others. Thailand in particular has people that have completely devoted their
life to serving and lifting others. It came naturally for them to forget
themselves and serve, and I hope that I can one day follow their example.
#2 The adventure
I don’t mean to brag guys… but I’ve done and seen some
pretty awesome stuff. I’ve pet a tiger, ridden an elephant, climbed the steps
of Notre Dame, explored multiple castles, and stood inside the Roman Coliseum –
just to name a few. Doing stuff like this is surreal and exhilarating. I highly
recommend just spontaneously going on an adventure and seeing something new
every once in a while. Travelers turn into great storytellers. Even if
something doesn’t seem as fun at the time, good stories are always sure to come
from your traveling experiences. Having my group get robbed on a beach in
France was not a pleasant experience at the time, but now it makes for a great
story. Getting kissed by a strange man on a train in Ukraine was really quite
horrifying, but likewise – it makes for an incredibly entertaining story. I’m
all about the stories. I could seriously go on all day on the topic of travel,
but it’s something I try to limit talking about because I’m sure I can get to
be annoying about it.
#3 How it helps me to grow and overcome fear
I was born with a very small comfort zone. I get why many
people are surprised that I seek out crazy travel adventures, especially if
they knew me during my incredibly awkward and shy teenage years. I’ve had many
paralyzing fears throughout the course of my life – speaking in front of
people, going somewhere by myself, having to ask for help, meeting someone new…
But truthfully, I hated that I was like that. I wanted to get better and to conquer
some of my fears. So how can you get over a fear of public speaking? By
speaking in public. How can you get over the fear of meeting new people? By
introducing yourself and talking to someone you don’t know. I have forced
myself to do things out of my comfort zone, over and over and over, until it
wasn’t as scary. Believe it or not, traveling is totally out of my comfort
zone. Because of it, however, I have been able to conquer many of my fears.
Good thing too, or else there is no way I could have the career that I now have.
Teaching requires me to speak in front of people, meet and work with new people,
and ask for help when I feel that my weaknesses are stopping me from doing my
best. I’ve learned many of these skills throughout my traveling experiences,
especially since most of the time that I travel I am teaching and working with
children.
Traveling has changed my life. I owe many of the life
lessons that I have learned to traveling. I am a better person for it. It
probably isn’t a necessity for everyone, but it acted as the kick-in-the-pants
I needed to get my life headed in the direction I wanted. It’s my own way of
stopping myself from getting into a rut and feel like I am living life to the
fullest by doing what I want to. One of my favorite songs is the song “I Lived”
by One Republic. It pretty much sums up how I am feeling right now as I am
about to embark on my journey to Peru. At the end of my life, I want to be able
to quote that song and say this:
I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived
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