Skip to main content

10. Don't Travel Lightly

Metz, France

Studying abroad is a crazy cool experience. You get to knock off so many bucket list items and spend the summer away from everything that you’re used to. But despite what you may think, it’s not some crazy free-for-all (although it’s close) where college kids just test their limits and city hop each day. There’s something called “classes” that happen during the weekdays.

In groups of our choosing (or alone for that matter), we travel on weekends that range from two to four days in length. So of course, we don’t get to Eat-Pray-Love style each of our vacations and turn into locals in each city we visit; we find the major attractions, walk around, take basic pictures by monuments, eat the signature foods, and then dash back to class. In spite of the fast pace, you can still find pockets of time where you get to breathe, and understand your surroundings. Of course, it’s not required to, but I’m about to share with you what happens when you do take time to smell the roses (or the fresh pizza in Florence or the breezy water of Amsterdam’s canals).

What I mean to tell you through my next few posts is to not travel lightly. You can “visit” several places on a map by walking through them and even visiting each monument known to mankind. But there’s no point. The buildings will begin to look the same, the food you eat will become less local and more commercial, and you will leave that place being the same old you. I’m not asking you to be well-read or study the history of a place before visiting it (although that would be pretty insightful). Instead, I’m asking you to not keep your mind light as you travel. Be aware of your surroundings. Think about what you see and feel. Let your senses experience your travels alongside you and your camera.

Stay posted for more (ad)vice, International Style.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

12. Selective Spirituality is OK.

I was never too connected to my roots. At most, I’d slip in an out of cultural appreciation when cultural festivals were around the corner, or I’d occasionally look out into the nature and wonder how the world around us came to be. But sometimes I’d feel guilty for feeling entitled to these thoughts of awe and amazement at the universe- I thought I was the least spiritual p erson on the planet. I used to roll my eyes when people I knew talked about spiritual matters. I tuned it out. I thought being spiritual was lame or unrealistic. The world was just a result of chemical reactions to me. But sometimes , I realized it was a result of beautiful and awe-inspiring chemical reactions. I was under some angsty impression of myself that getting spiritual once in a while just didn’t fit my vibe. But more recently, I’ve realized it’s a blessing to see some of the things we see. I’ve gotten more in touch with my emotional side, and a lot more things move me than they did befo...
Post a Comment
Read more

6. Always Question Yourself

"Don't let anyone change your dreams." Well, unless your dreams are uh... outdated . There's something magical and inspiring about individuals who follow through with every word they say. It takes a lot of willpower to stay driven and focused on something for an extended period of time. This is a skill we all rightfully strive for in certain aspects of life. However, some aspects of life deserve a little more flexibility. I was always ashamed to admit that I changed my life goals and ambitions quite frequently. I was dead set on becoming a research doctor for a majority of high school, but I suddenly reoriented myself for a future void of any lab science at all. Evidently, that’s okay- no one expects you to know what you want to do at such a young age. However, people do often tell us to “never let go of your dreams”. What no one really mentions is that it’s okay for your dreams to change. It’s always inspiring and warming when someone fulfills their c...
2 comments
Read more

8. It's All In Your Head.

WARNING- This is more of a personal statement than good advice. It’s just me typing out the nebulous thoughts in my head that I need to clear out. Read if you want. It’s a fact- I worry too much. I worry about what people think of me, I worry about handling my college classes, I worry about my family, I worry about my social life, I worry about my health, and I worry about my future.   Sometimes, I get too caught up in worrying about all these things, especially the first and last- what people think of me and my future. Worrying too much about what people will say for some of your actions mentally restricts you from trying new things. How are we supposed to know what’s actually good for us just based on other people’s judgments? Recently, I went through formal recruitment and joined a sorority. As of two weeks ago, becoming a sorority girl never crossed my mind. Going through recruitment was just something I did to meet new people and try new things, and somehow I ended up g...
2 comments
Read more