Why it is important to me to experience different cultures

Travelling has been something dear to me for many years. I have had the privilege to travel to several different countries and experience many different cultures within those countries. Much like the little girl in the gif, I tend to react to other cultures with a "wow".

As much as I love to travel for the pure enjoyment of being in the elsewhere, I love to travel for the experiences of other cultures. When I was thirteen, my family and I went out of country for the first time. We went on a cruise to a couple of islands in Mexico. Obviously, cruises are catered to American pleasure and comfort. However, I commend my mother during this trip. She took the time to sit and talk with as many workers as she could during the duration of the trip. We learned that almost all the workers on the cruises are from different countries. We talked to them and learned as much about their countries and cultures as we could through story telling. It was fascinating. I left that cruise wanting to travel to about twenty different countries. We were exposed to tourist Mexico, which is quite different than America. But it is nothing compared to the inner mainland of the country. When we arrived home after that trip, we were all humbled and extremely grateful for the lives we lived in America. This was my first experience of realizing how differently my life looks compared to others around the world.

At age eighteen, I was pretty self absorbed. My family went on another cruise for my senior graduation trip. It was the identical cruise ship and locations of that we went on previously. I was so self absorbed that I didn't even pay attention to the cultural differences. I wasted my opportunity to grow my perceptions of the world and grow as a citizen in the world. The same year, I made a missionary trip to Nicaragua. This was my first experience to travel anywhere out of the country without my family. I went with the college group I would be worshiping with the next year in college. To say my life was completely and forever altered would be an understatement. I never wanted to come home. I didn't want to live in America anymore. I hated they way I lived. I hated that I lived in a huge home with a bedroom the size of a huge house in Nicaragua. I hated that I had a tv in my room. I resented the fact that I had my own vehicle when some would walk over twenty miles every day for work and farther to worship. The day I returned home was sad. I was down in the dumps with guilt. I felt I didn't deserve my life and needed to make changes immediately. I told my mom I wanted to throw away my tv. This was when she told me I was being unreasonable. She told me I was welcome to unplug it and pretend it wasn't there, but I was not welcome to trash it. I compromised. As much as I tried, I could not convey what I had witnessed to my family. I wanted them to know, but I wanted more for them to experience what I experienced.

Since then, I have been to Nicaragua a few times and have had the opportunity to experience going there with all my family members. It was so nice to experience it with them. It was lovely to have them understand as opposed to just knowing my stories.

I have also had the opportunity to spend time in Bonaire and several locations in Europe. These have all shaped me into who I am today. I can no longer listen to a person complain about minute details without telling them how lucky we are. I have learned to cope with the guilt I once had for living the way I do. I have learned to shape my mind during new experiences. The greatest part of traveling and experiencing new cultures is I can read about a place and research all the things. But until I actually spend time there, I do not understand. It is so important to me to experience new cultures, because without the experience it is just a place in a book. Like Hogwarts or Mordor. When I finally fill my head with the experience, it changes me. Traveling and experiencing new cultures shapes me into the person I am today. I will continue to travel and experience all I can so that I am never a complacent woman. I want to be able to inspire my students, family, and friends to travel as well. I don't want to have a closed mind that is content with only seeing out my back door. I want to go. I want to experience. I want to be.

Sincerely, Miss