Blog 2: Why We Travel

 

Traveling is, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating things a person can do in their entire lifetime! Not only are you able to learn something new, or see something you haven't yet seen, you can have the ability to be somewhere you never thought of being! Traveling is the best way to experience something unimaginable, and see the world through your own eyes in a completely new perspective.

I travel to see the world, and I travel to live and breathe other cultures.
I travel because I enjoy seeing how other people live and how it's different from my day-to-day life. I love to see what others eat, how they communicate, as well as how they travel around town. Not only that, but the landscapes around can pretty much sum up the entire place, wherever that may be!

When a person reads or hears about a place they have never been to, they usually always wonder what it would be like to be there. It's always different to actually be able to see places with your own eyes, rather than a picture on a random piece of paper or in a book... Traveling is seeing the world clearly by taking risks. One can always sit at home and travel within their mind, but it's definitely not the same thing! You can learn more about the culture of the people around you, and actually experience it, as well as learn some new facts or bring back interesting stories with yourself after the trip. It may seem like everywhere you go in the world, it's the same... It may be similar in some ways, but it's always a completely different world than where a person may live. In my case, Illinois. I bet that even Wisconsin, or Indiana, some of our bordering states, can be a truly different atmosphere. No matter where you go in the world, it's always an adventure, even if you've been there a million times. You always find something new or a breath-taking landscape in which you "lose your mind" in... Simply, we travel in order to keep our minds and heart wide open, and accept what is around us, as well as learn about the world, probably more than you even wanted to know! My thoughts on traveling completely agree with those of Iyer, in every way possible! As Pico Eyer says, "We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves".

"The real voyage of discovery consists not seeing new places, but in seeing with new eyes". 

 This is one of many of Iyer's thoughts about travel. When you travel, you shouldn't expect something or make certain assumptions of wherever you may be... On the other hand, you should look at it more open-minded with a newer perspective! Look at your surroundings and indulge every second of it! That's the only way to take in this experience and remember it for the rest of your life...


 "What gives value to travel is fear", is another way of looking at travel from Iyer's point of view. Memories are your past, present, and future! No matter what kind of day you may be in at the moment, you always look back at certain days in your life and reflect and remember those good times you had with your friends, or family, and what it was like... Good things only come out of traveling when you fear the unknown. You don't have the slightest idea of WHAT you're going to stumble upon on a trip, and once something happens, you realize it was good and just makes those memories even stronger! You don't know what will happen... And on this trip, I will just do that: enjoy every moment of every day! You never know what will come your way in the next 2 seconds! Whether it be funny, sad, amusing, horrible, unexpected, serious, hilarious, happy, a total madness... I could go on, and on, and on! There are so many things that can happen in one single day, it's hard NOT to keep your mind open and laugh along with your new friends on this once-in-a-lifetime trip!

Let's pretend you got dropped off in the middle of nowhere... Now, what are you going to do? The first thing that probably comes to your mind is to take out that phone and call for help! That's the smart move (which probably is) for most people. But, if you're a traveler, you keep your phone in your pocket and start walking, looking at your surroundings, wondering what this place is like... You look one way and you see boring old trees, but you turn your head the other, and what seems to stand before you is gorgeous scene of mountains and a lake reflecting the sunshine from the sky... And you think: Wow, this is amazing! Automatically, you pull out that handy-dandy camera and take a snapshot. By the time you get back to town, your camera is full of pictures and you head is filled with wonderful views and memories that are worthy to be shown and told! Once you have someone's attention, you start telling them about your sudden adventure in that "middle of nowhere"! That is what being a "carrier pigeon" is all about! Not only are you transporting ideas and events, but you are actually retelling your entire trip, detail by detail. Whether it be about culture or sights, you, the traveler, have the responsibility and skill to share your knowledge and experience with all the people you know! A traveler can help images come to life in people's minds, especially those who haven't been able to experience what you did, or go to a certain place where you did, but they've always dreamed about...

"Travel in that sense guides us toward a better balance of wisdom and compassion- of seeing the world clearly, and yet feeling it truly. For seeing without feeling can obviously be uncaring; while feeling without seeing can be blind".

This is probably one of my favorite quotes! It pretty much explains the word "travel" in every way... It states the truth of what you can and can't get out of a trip, and what is the key to having the best experience EVER! Depending on how you look at the trip head of you, that's the way your trip will become. Taking risks and doing the unexpected and most unusual things, a simple trip across the world can become the memory of a lifetime!!!

I know this is probably the longest blog post ever created on this Earth, but I can't seem to say enough about what traveling is to me... Travel can open up a doorway to your dreams and goals and through it, you can become a much better, more intelligent person than you were before!

I can't wait until the first day of the Australia trip! I've never been there before, and by going there and experiencing the world in a different way, I will soon enough be able to say: "I have been to Australia and New Zealand!"

Blog 1: About Myself and the Start of My New Adventure

Hi! I'm Kasia! 

I am a girl that is always open to new things, no matter how funny or serious it may be! I am always determined to reach the highest point in everything I do, especially in school. I always aim to get straight A's and participate in as many activities as I can, as long as it all fits into my schedule. Here at North, I was on the Girls' JV Tennis Team this past season, and now take part in many, many clubs and activities, including Theater (working on this year's musical)...  And just now, I joined the Girls' Track Team... Even though it wasn't long ago that I just joined this school, I have so many new memories that are too much for words! Outside of school, I go to polish school every week on Saturdays and have been learning ballroom dancing for about 7 years or so... working hard and achieving my dreams at the same time! My life is so full of experiences and new things, it would take years to explain everything... :) I am always looking forward to learning something new, whether it's at school, on the tennis courts, on stage, or the dance floor...

But when it comes to traveling, I can't be more than excited to see the next day!

When I first heard and saw that there was an Australia and New Zealand trip being hosted by my very own school, I couldn't help but feel a "tinge" of excitement run through my body, from my head to my toes. After a while of thinking and deciding, my parents and I finally made the choice to sign up and take the risk of stepping into the memory of a lifetime! I've always loved to travel! And even though I travel a lot around the country, and have been out of the country several times, landing on two feet in a continent across the globe, exactly opposite of where I live... Well, it would be a dream come true! I always saw people talking about Australia on TV, or remember reading books about Australia, too. As a small girl, to honestly say, I have always thought what it would be like to actually be there in person. And with this once-in-a-lifetime trip on the tip of my fingers, who would want to pass up such an amazing opportunity? Not ME!

Traveling can always help bring many new excitements and twists to an adventure. By flying to the opposite end of the world to Australia and New Zealand, I hope to learn a lot of new things I never knew before, all by studying abroad! I want to learn about the culture of the people; what they eat, how they act, and how they travel from one end of the city to the other. I want to see the differences of various things compared to where I come from... I also want to realize that by traveling, it's far more interesting to see things you've never before seen, especially if you're standing right in front of it, looking at it with your own two eyes!

I've heard so many things about Australia and New Zealand, it's too much to grasp it all in one hand. However, there were always certain things I looked forward to seeing, if I ever had the chance. And now that I do, I can look forward to it! Not only do I want learn and see the culture of the people, but I also want to see the wildlife. I've always wanted to see koalas and kangaroos in person, and explore the Great Barrier Reef! This may seem a little odd, but whenever I heard the word "Australia", the picture of the Australia Opera House came into my mind and view. Not only am I excited for the sights themselves, but I also can't wait to the longest plane ride I have ever been on! I heard it's about 18 or so hours long... That would be a record for me! 

So now, since I am a couple months away from actually standing in Australia and New Zealand, these are some of the things interest me and I look forward to on the trip!

There are many reasons why learning about where you are going before actually going there can improve your traveling experience! I personally think that by doing this, you will know what to expect on the trip, not necessarily assume everything about it (by reading books or something). By knowing specific things, you will be able to look at things more open-minded... You will actually enjoy it a lot more, rather than stressing and complaining that "you haven't seen this, or haven't seen that". You will know a little bit more about where you are going, and then the only thing you have to worry about, is "to smile and live it"!

By doing just that, I will be able to live every moment of every day in Australia and New Zealand!