Reflection

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a memory is worth a thousand pictures. The nearly 4,000 pictures I took on my trip, although they help me to recall the scenery, pale in comparison to the memories I made. In our desperate struggle to make our favorite experiences permanent, we fail. No matter how many pictures we take and wishes we make, those perfect moments always come to an end. However, our experiences are made permanent all the time with the imprint that they leave on our character.

T.S. Eliot said,

"We must never cease our exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to return to the place where we first began and to truly know that place for the first time."

Words were never so true.

My exploration took me to Valencia, Buñol, Montpellier, Carcassonne, Preixan, Paris, Tours, Amboise, Reims, Épernay, Chatillon-sur-Marne, Madrid, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Arromanches, St. Malo, St. Michel, Bayeux, Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Pisa, and London.

These are the 25 cities and towns that I had the opportunity to explore on foot. They are located in 9 countries (Spain, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, The Vatican, and the United Kingdom). If you add countries I traveled through, the country count jumps to 11 (Switzerland and Belgium) and the city count jumps higher than I care to count.

As I reflect on this, I realize how lucky I am to have the opportunities that I do. So many people would never be able to do what I did. I am fortunate enough to have time in my school schedule, to have the financial means, to have loving and supportive parents, to even be in school. The list of my blessings could continue forever.

And then there's the million dollar question, that awful question that seems to be an echo among those I talk to: What was your favorite place?

"Paris" does not satisfy them.

"I mean other than Paris."

Such a difficult question. Each place has a unique attitude and demeanor, an aroma that envelops you. Did I enjoy fending off tomato-bearing assailants in Buñol? Did I like seeing the Holy Grail in Valencia? Was it interesting to meet an overly generous antiques trader and his cronies? Was it charming to see the pointed turrets and fairytale bridge of Carcasonne? Was I happy to march through the vineyards of southern France to taste wine and to bike through its foothills? Was it unreal to see the châteaux in the Loire Valley that look like they should only exist in painting? How about seeing The Marriage of Figaro in Vienna, the birthplace of its composer? Or riding a horse-drawn carriage at night through Prague, a city famous for its legends of ghosts and hauntings? Were you stunned to walk through Berlin and experience the electricity of a medieval city that is only 18 years old? Was it weird to stroll through the red light district in Amsterdam? Were you humbled as you contemplated the beaches of Normandy and the thousands upon thousands of white-marble crosses and stars of David, each representing a person that died for your freedom and happiness? The ancient city of Rome? Its Colosseum? The Vatican and its priceless collection of art? Sistine Chapel ( a place you may have heard of)? Michelangelo's 17 ft. statue of David? Leaning tower of Pisa Tower Bridge Big Ben and Parliament in London Arc de Triomphe Notre Dame Champs Elysées Eiffel Tower?

Yes, it was all cool.

Whenever I attempt to answer that question, I usually start of with one place, and continue on, "but you know, XXX was cool too, and this and that,"

and I continue until I've named the majority of the places I went. So no, besides Paris, I don't really have one favorite place. I don't regret any of the money I spent and I don't regret any of the trips I did. Together they had a profound effect on me and made my semester what it was.

Even though my experiences were satisfying, the last word I would use to describe myself is satisfied. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see. Like drinking saltwater when you're thirsty, the craving only doubles and redoubles.

I still want to go to Ireland and explore the countryside and Dublin. I have a newfound conviction to learn German and travel through that country as well as Austria and Belgium. My reading list has grown to include books relevant to some of the place I went. I have an increased appreciation for art and architecture and want to learn more. I've found that sometimes I need the serentiy of the countryside and sometimes I want the business and sophistication of a city. I enjoy a newfound appreciation for living in a French-founded city. I know what people are talking about when they discuss Paris, and I know what they mean when they say there's no place like it. I know the sound of Parisian sirens, the hum and vibration of the metro underfoot as it rumbles past. Hemingway was right when he said,

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast."

I have taken part in that feast, I have dined at that table. And I have taken with me countless sounds, sensations, smells, tastes and images from the city of light and elsewhere. And I never have to give them back. And I never will.

When I talk to people about traveling, especially people out of school but my peers as well, I get a lot of "I wish I was 21 again and doing that," and a lot of "I wish I had the time to do that." I did a lot of things that I never thought I would do. If there is one thing that my study abroad experience has taught me, it is this. If you want to do something, do it. That seems really simple, but before this trip I was a much more passive person. I've learned that things that you want will sometimes fall in your lap, but you can always choose to pursue them.

Go beyond your perceived self-limitations, because limitations are just that: perceived. They exist only in your head and not in reality. Sound idealistic? It is. But if you have that attitude you'll do things you didn't think you could or would do.

I recommend traveling to everyone. I didn't say I recommend it to anyone. This is an important distinction. If I recommend it to anyone, I'm saying that any given person can and should travel. I'm recommending it to everyone, meaning every given person. I recommend it for stress, for depression, for narrow-mindedness and short-sightedness, for boredom and stupidity. It is a one-size-fits-all cure-all prescription for everyone everywhere, especially if you can afford it but even if you can't.

It is never too early or too late to do something, especially something like traveling. If you want to do it, find a way. Life is too short to sit and wish, better to take action and get results. Sometimes they aren't the results that you had in mind at first, but if you put up your sails the wind will take you somewhere.


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Afterword

I'd like to thank my parents for making all these experiences and lessons a reality for me. I am more grateful than you can know, and I appreciate so much the sacrifices you have made to make school and traveling possible for me and my siblings. Your dedication to me, my brother and my sister is amazing and unparalleled. I love you more than you can know and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you have given me.

And with that, I seal the envelope of this blog. I melt the wax and stamp it shut.

FIN