Every now and then, I think about how grand it will be to travel the world.
Conveniently, images of Asia, Europe, small towns, exotic paradises, magical deserts, and foreign lights lay across glossy pages for the avid dreamer to soak up, yet only a few people get to experience them. Fortunately, I've been blessed to be able to indulge in some of these already. Some may call me crazy, but there's something absolutely endearing when you visit somewhere foreign, whether it be across the world, or across the country; being dropped into a sea of culture and the unfamiliar- it'll change your life, I swear by it.
When I was a Junior in high school, I received my first stamp in my passport, one that I will cherish for the rest of my days: Paris, France. When you see the Eiffel Tower beaming at you from the pages of National Geographic, you think you've experienced beauty, but it doesn't even come close to serving its reality justice. When I stood under one of the most beautiful fortresses known to man, I felt a sense of awe, peace, appreciation, life, intimidation, wonder, strength, and love. From that point on, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life engaging in moments like these.
Since then, I've also ventured to England, Italy, The Bahamas, and various cities across America. Each has offered something that I won't find anywhere else in the world; something that I don't want to find anywhere else in the world. Admitting what a dork I am, I am a subscriber to National Geographic. When I flip through their pages, I can't contain my excitement for what the world has to offer. If I so allow it, the world can be my playground.
Although I'm not venturing out of the country anytime soon, in the near future I am going to visit family in California, as well as take my first, real ROAD TRIP with some of my sorority sisters. I am so ecstatic that I can't even talk about it without beaming with happiness! Although I've used the means of a plane for a million adventures for 11 and 12 hours at a time, I've never been in the car for more than 5. However, this will soon change. At the end of this semester, I'm getting the opportunity to sit back and relax with great company, jam to good music, and see America from the way it was meant to be seen: from a 2010 Honda CRV named Chad :)
Along with my gal pals, Julia and Elizabeth, we are starting from Auburn, Alabama and driving to Newnan, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Williamsburg, Virginia, and ending in Bel Air, Maryland (while there, making a day trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania). You may say, "who cares, everyone's heard of these places and some have been to all of them," BUT actually making the journey from Point A to Point B with the intention of experiencing the sights, the smells, the culture; it's a little different. Each mile that we put behind us opens up a door way to something fresh and impacting that lies ahead. What I'm most excited for is the chance to stop at ridiculous signs, hole in the walls, natural landmarks, and the most exciting: "America's largest/smallest/oldest... (fill in the blank)."
SO...here's to my infatuation with traveling and the desire to experience life, whatever it may offer. Being kept up in a little town is not an option. There are too many opportunities just waiting for me to grasp. As Natalie Kocsis cleverly puts it, "The world is a playground, and life is pushing my swing."
