Traveling
I love, love, love to travel! Did I say I LOVE to travel? I have been truly blessed to have visited some amazing places around the world from Singapore to Dubai to Bangkok to Bali to Kuala Lumpur, and many more. I can’t wait to see where my next adventure takes me! By the way, check out my TikTok (esquire_aka) video entitled “Travel,” to see some awesome slides from some of my trips, and don’t forget to give me a follow.
If you are able to, please travel. Experiencing other cultures, from their food, to their traditions and customs, allows you to experience and learn amazing things; both about yourself and the world around you. Traveling to different parts of the world and experiencing new cultures is like stepping into a whole new world of smells, languages, colors, sights, sounds and people. It’s truly a wonderful experience that tunes you into how others live, how they love, how they create art, how they dress and much more. Experience life to the fullest!
You will be amazed at some of similarities that people have to you, as well as some of the vast differences in how people live and behave. Things that we may consider rude such as being in one’s personal space, may not be considered rude in another part of the world. Similarly, things that some of us may consider appropriate, such as eating pork or beef, may not be considered appropriate in another part of the world. Traveling allows you to discover new social norms and lifestyles, and it teaches you that your way of doing things and your way of living, is not the only way to do things or to live.
Traveling broadens your perspective of the world, and experiencing new cultures teaches you a variety of new skills. You learn to become more social, flexible, and open minded. Meeting people from different religions, ethnic backgrounds, and educational backgrounds greatly enhances your development as a person. Not surprisingly, we sometimes learn the most from those types of experiences.
I owe my love of travel to my parents. From a young age, I was interested in different cultures and backgrounds. My first flight at the tender age of three was to Walt Disney World on Eastern Airlines. Yes, I know, I’m dating myself, considering they have been out of business for many, many years now, and some of you reading this may have never even heard of them! At the time Disney World only had one park, the Magic Kingdom. The next year, Epcot Center opened, and little did I know, I was learning while having fun. My first trip out of the country however was at the age of fourteen to London, and I have loved London ever since. This initial international trip taught me that while the U.S. can be great sometimes, with amazing places to visit, in the scope of the world, the U.S. is but a small portion. It’s a BIG world out there. As a matter of fact, it’s a HUGE world out there, and I have so much more exploring to do!
Traveling also allows you to expand your circle of friends all around the world, which is the most fun part right? Well, besides the food and shopping of course! You will meet people from different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, gaining insight into their way of life and their beliefs.
During one of my trips to Dubai, my mother and I met a group of four beautiful young women from Saudi Arabia. Two of them had their faces fully visible, one I could only see her eyes, and other, I could not see her face at all. My mother and I were talking, and one of the young ladies said that she liked my accent. It’s always been weird to me when someone says that I have an accent (I’m from Philadelphia), since one typically doesn’t hear their own accent, but when you think about it, we all have an accent to someone else that is not from our area.
Side Note: One time while on a train in Paris, a young man heard my mother and I talking and asked if we were from Philadelphia! Crazy right! He had lived in Paris for many years, but his family was originally from Chicago. But back to the story.
One of the young ladies asked if we were from America, and said that she hopes to attend NYU one day. She was at the time learning English as a second language. I had to commend her; while her English was a little broken, she did an amazing job, and was able to hold a full conversation. I am always amazed at people who speak English as a second language. As broken as it may be at times, especially when they are first learning the language, the fact that they are able to speak it enough to hold a full conversation is amazing to me, considering how hard it can be to learn another language. I know a few Arabic phrases that I taught myself, but I cannot write it, nor can I have a full conversation, so please don’t try to converse with me in Arabic, because you will get a blank stare. One of my goals however, is to become 100% fluent in both Arabic and Spanish.
My mother and I continued chatting with these young ladies, and it turns out that they were on a girls’ trip. They spoke about life in Saudi Arabia, and we spoke about life in America. Just six women, in Dubai, talking about life, hopes and dreams. It was a beautiful experience and one that I will cherish forever.
I need to make an important point about traveling. Always remember that regardless of where you travel to, you absolutely MUST be respectful and abide by the laws of that country. It does not matter if you like or agree with the laws, or if they even make sense to you. Just as you would want someone visiting your home to respect the rules of your house, so to should we respect the rules of another country that we choose to visit. It just makes the experience better for all.
So again, if you are able to, travel! Other cultures will awaken your sense of awe and well-being, and you will cherish the experiences for a lifetime. You deserve to have your hearts desires because you are worthy. So, if you haven’t already done so, step outside of your comfort zone and travel to experience a whole new world. I promise you will not regret it.
