Wanderlust (n): a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.
College is a time to explore new options, discover passions, and learn through experience. Probably one of the most essential aspects of a well-rounded college education is, in my opinion, the desire to reach beyond our normal everyday lives and absorb as many new places, people, and cultures as we can. For me, going to school 800 miles away from home meant packing as many things as I could into my parent’s SUV, and making the 14 hour drive from my beloved East Coast to my less-loved Northern Indiana.
Before coming to school I had never been to the Hoosier State, or any part of the Midwest. Everything was completely foreign: the miles and miles of flat cornfields that stretch from Ohio to Indiana were a lot different from the mountainous and forest-filled Connecticut that I call home. (There is also no ocean here. Which is weird).
It was scary at first, but I would not trade this experience for the world. I revel at the prospect of seeing everything I can while I’m here. Some may question my choice of a school so far away (and people never fail to condescendingly ask about the South Bend weather), but the Midwest can offer you so much if you take the time to look for it.
The trick is to take every experience you can get. I visit Chicago frequently and fell in love with Cincinnati while there for Easter break (if you’ve never heard of Graeter’s or Skyline, you are seriously missing out). Jump at every chance you find to get out of your home state if you want to see the world from a different perspective: I learned very quickly that the world does not revolve around my small suburban town in central Connecticut.
Plus, if I hadn’t moved to the beautiful Midwest, I would never have discovered the wonders of Steak N’ Shake, fried cheese curds, and puppy chow. I also probably would have never heard the word “whatnot” actually being used in a sentence.
Now, onto the meaning of wanderlust. This term applies to traveling across the globe, which is not quite possible for most college students on a budget. However, I firmly believe that any opportunity you can get to travel and take in cultures different than yours should not be ignored. Study abroad. Volunteer abroad if you can’t afford to spend a whole semester overseas, many schools offer grants for research and philanthropic efforts during school breaks.
If neither of these is possible for you, take a road trip. Get out of central Connecticut or Florida or California or wherever you’re from and travel for a weekend. There is so much to see right here in the U.S., and your college years are the perfect time to explore while you still can. Don’t shy away from opportunities, because I promise you they will not be around forever. Travel while you can. Explore, grow, and learn while you can. After all, isn’t that what college is all about?
Xoxo, HCND
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