For most, one of the last things they want to experience before they die is passion and the feeling of falling in love. While I too want to experience those things, it is not the most important thing for me to experience. What I crave to do the most in life before I die is adventure. As an English major, reading is one of the most frequent activities I do. While it is enjoyable due to a novel’s ability to remove the soul and imagination from the extreme realities of life, it is only temporary and quite abstract. My wanderlust continues to be unfulfilled. The need to see the things I’ve constantly read about grows by the day; how marvelous it would be to finally see the ruins of Ancient Greece, the tombs of the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt and the Nile River that they worshipped, and the ruins of the once glorious Hittite empire which historians to this day, are still unable to discover why the Hittite Empire fell to ruin.
Not only does adventure fulfill the wanderlust that all beings have, as someone who is very interested in the arts and culture, exploring and learning so many cultures and wonders of the world is truly intriguing.
The places that I want to experience at a religious level are:
India
India has always been a fascinating place. The temples that were left behind, such as the Taj Mahal which bears one of the most romantic origins I’ve learned about, the festivals, and the meaning and differences behind their clothing pulls me to visit India; to truly experience India.
Image source: Roney John
Japan
Japan is known for their quirks, but what is fascinating to me about Japan is the mixture of feeling the familiar and unfamiliar simultaneously. As a Filipino who has lived in South-East Asia for most of her life, Japan’s presence in undeniable. Growing up, I’ve learned about this country through many mediums that shaped a good portion of my life. To this day, I can still sing all the words to the Pokémon theme song. While I’ve known Japan through these mediums such as anime, I don’t truly know it. Do people actually celebrate White Day in response to Valentine’s Day?
Image source: Belle Co
The Philippines
While I lived in South-East Asia for a while, I don’t remember much of my time there due to how young I was. Because of the majority of the years I’ve spent in the United States and the desire to preserve my culture and identity, experiencing the country at its purest form before colonialism is something I have to do before I die.
Image source: Christian Paul Del Rosario
Fiji
Fiji also relates to my identity. As a Filipino, my ancestors are Austronesians, the people Polynesians are rooted from. Austronesians looked for islands to inhabit. Cultures began to change as they traveled farther. They eventually found Polynesia and Oceania. If you’ve ever seen Moana, her ancestors traveled the world by navigating the ocean with essentially a canoe. In a sense, they too are parts of me that I would like to get to know.
Image source: Damon Hall
Greece
Despite the political and economic upheaval in Greece, the country has helped shape one of the many passions I have in life because of their incredible weaving of their culture with myth written by authors like Homer.
Image source: Pixabay