What a Beautiful World

“Traveling- it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller"- Ibn Battuta

When I think about the world, I think about all of the wonders that have yet to leave me in awe. I find it impossible to fully the describe the beauty of the world through words. Words can paint a picture and stir up a desire to travel to such amazing places. However, the world is something that you have to experience and learn about for yourself. The images in your head, stories you've heard, or a descriptions of that place, come together collectively to become a beauty in front of your eyes. The best thing though is gaining your own opinion about that particular place and sharing your experience with others.   

You have an array of choices as you travel. There isn't a set of rules that bounds you to traveling a specific way. You have a choice in the place you want to go, what you will do, how long you will stay, and how you want to live when you get there. Be adventurous, relaxed, and happy.  Travel is vast series of choices that allow you to grow and learn about just not the world, but also about yourself. A teacher that I once had(a worldly traveler) told me that you need to open yourself up when you travel because if you don't, you will be depriving yourself of the world.

There are hundreds of thousands of places all over the globe that are waiting for you to come and experience. The beauty of the world cannot be fully conveyed through words and images. Open yourself up to this magnificence and you can learn about what the world has to hold and everything beyond it. Life is meant to be experienced, so allow yourself to do just do that.

My top 5 list of the places I want to travel:

1.      Morocco

2.      Vatican City

3.      Thailand

4.      Paris

5.      Crete

I wish I was 5

Smiles that went from ear to ear, bursts of boisterous laughter that filled the room, and eyes of innocence completed my Thursday and Friday. On February 26th and 27th, hundreds of kids came rushing through the colorful, animated tunnel of people. I read the silly rhymes of Dr. Seuss as my buddies would grasp on to each word with the desire to hear the next. I danced with my buddies as they twirled and jumped around with me until I was dizzy. I helped my buddies with their activities as the spectrum of the rainbow was illustrated into various characters and objects. As I played the part of the patient, I watched my buddies point at me, smile, and whisper to their neighbor that I was their friend. I looked down at my buddies as they looked for comfort before doing what Dr. Seuss told them to do. With each movement and sound, I flashback to the moments of my childhood when each day passed with a carefree feeling.

            Up until high school, all I wanted to do was grow up quickly and take on the fun and responsibility of a high school student. My mouth drooled at the idea that one day, I would no longer be 5, 8, 10, and even 13. Now, time has passed, and I find myself at 15, writing about those moments in which I wished to be older.

            I came in to high school thinking that I was beyond prepared to handle everything and that these 4 years would go by with ease. As a sophomore, I've realized that days go by quickly, but they don't go by without difficulty. I remember being in kindergarten with by overwhelmingly large backpack that looked like it was crushing me, the bowl haircut that shouldn't exist, and the light up, sparkly pink sketchers that lit up my day. My most stressful thoughts bounced back between whether or not I was packed a good snack and if I would have to speak aloud to the class.

            Looking back at these moments makes me realize that sometimes we're so eager for something to happen that we don't take the time to appreciate the things around us. As a high school student, I wait anxiously for the day I get to take my pack boxes and move them into a dorm with other college students. I see the freedom and fun of being a college student, but forget how hard it actually is when you're out on your own. With my eyes fixed on college, I don't appreciate the difficulties I am facing right now. What I find to be an obstacle right now, will one day be the thing I wish I could run back to. I know that one day my high school career will come to an end and the future will come, so why just not live each day with gratitude?