It was the summer of 2014, I had my new passport in hand walking towards the terminal of G19. A smile was plastered on my face as I saw the bolded white letters. I was so nervous and excited all at once. This was the first time I have gone outside of the country and maybe even my last, so I wanted to make the most of the experience! I was nervous because I had only been on a plane one other time in my life and I didn’t know how to feel because it was a new concept to me. As I sat on the plane, I remember my parents put me on the window seat so I would get the full experience. Looking out the window, seeing the clouds dance below me was amazing.
When we landed in Jamaica, it was nighttime and the air was thick from the humidity. Travelers from around the world were in one room to sign ourselves into the country and live in paradise for a short while. I was tired from so many hours and flights, but a smile was still plastered on my face. The week was spent learning about the country I was in, meeting wonderful people from the island, sipping on smoothies, and having the best time of my life with my family. I wasn’t expecting that trip to change my life.
The first thing I learned was acceptance. I thought of myself as a pretty well-rounded individual and not one to judge immediately, which I am, but it was tested when leaving my comfortable home. Driving through Jamaica, I saw houses that were taken poor care of, but nice cars in the driveway. I was so confused, but I took a step back to realize that some people’s values are different than mine. I personally would like a nice place to sleep rather than a nice set of wheels. I felt the same way as I traveled through Mexico, I saw huts made of straw in some areas and I questioned why people would choose to live like that. Maybe the indigenous people who live in the huts prefer the non-modern life. Even in Europe, I had to look at my surroundings and take a step back to reevaluate that stands with naked women on them might be normal to them and not to me. My way of living is strange to other people and I had to come to those terms and embrace the difference that everyone has. That every quirk makes them a part of the human race and I shouldn’t judge that.
My appreciation for history skyrocketed after the many trips I have been on. I’m not one to just sit on the beach, I always want to go and learn something new! A week isn’t enough to get a full history lesson on the country that I was in. Why sit on a beach, when there is a full database of knowledge just outside the resort walls? It’s so fascinating how old everything is compared to the United States; how many structures date our existence by centuries and we can’t even process it. There is a wall in London that survived a fire from September of 1666 and it was made long before that. I remember the tour guide saying that it was dated to 500 years ago. 500 years! How does one take in that many years? Then going to the Mayan pyramids, even older, dating back to 3,000 years ago! I was in shock when my family and I walked up to this old monumental piece of history and it’s one of the seven wonders of the modern world! Now I added six more things to add to my bucket list. The buildings that I shed actual tears at their marvel was Notre Dame and Westminster Abbey. Notre Dame is this church that took over 200 years to build; you can see where the generations separated from the textures on the walls. The windows have seen two world wars, a plague, and so many more markers in history. Westminster has been through some legendary wars and historical markers as well. The most marvelous thing there is the people who are buried beneath the stone floors. I wandered off from the crowd to look at the sculptures surrounding the main hall and I stopped to stare at one in particular. I remember thinking, “Hm. That looks like Issac Newton.” Then the tour guide came up and said, “Over here, Sir Issac Newton lies.” My eyes widened. The Sir Issac Newton’s remains were right below my feet. I was in utter shock at the new knowledge. My eyes followed other stones with names on it. My eyes finally landed on another familiar name, Charles Darwin. No way. Then, Charles Dickens followed him and so many other great figures of history. My love for history grew from the trips I went on, and I love it even more that I got to visit the places that had seen the most history.
After visiting all these countries, traveling across the country and the world, I grew a backbone from it. I’m not afraid to try new things anymore. Surviving a plane ride is good enough for anyone, but I lived my best life when I’m in other countries or states. I see something new, something I don’t understand yet. The thrill that traveling gives me, I can’t get at home. If one of my friends comes up to me and asks if I want to go to a haunted sanitarium, I don’t hesitate to say yes because it is an adventure and I live for that. Fears used to cloud my head, but since leaving the comfort of my bed, I have gained a new respect for the things that fear me. I smile in the face of danger now.
I can’t thank my family enough for the opportunities they have given me. The smile I show is from the experiences I faced when being challenged outside of my element. Learning new cultures has made me more accepting as a person, history will forever be a passion of mine since leaving the country, and my fears will sometimes get the best of me, but I know I will make it through another day. Traveling is fun for the pictures, but the memories I made will last me forever.