Friday, May 16, 2014

Wanderlust

wanderlust
noun:
A strong desire to travel

I was on my way back from Brighton last weekend and a question from our London coordinator got me to thinking.
I was talking about how excited I am to go home, but how living in London has changed my views so much.
She then asked me a question that I haven't been able to get out of my head.
"Do you think you have lost your wanderlust now that you have studied abroad?"
My immediate answer was "No! Of course not!"
Later on that night I kept coming back to this conversation.
I made myself take a look at where I'm headed in life and to think about if I will ever lose my wanderlust.

I rehashed this conversation with my aunt during a Skype session and she made a very good point.
She said at my age and this point in my life I want to see the world, but at her age she wants to vacation.
I thought it was so interesting because when you think about it they're not really the same thing.
There are those who travel and those who vaca.
So then I started thinking about what are the differences.
When you travel you are going for the experience.
Most likely this is a never ending adventure without many breaks.
You are constantly doing and seeing.
When you vacation you are escaping away from responsibilities.
You usually spend more cash so that you have to make little efforts throughout the day.
When you travel, you are on a budget and everyone knows it (Hello hostels!)
There are many other differences between the two and some may disagree.
I would be more than confident to say that I have been travelling for the past 6 months. 

So after much speculation and careful thinking.
No, I have not lost my wanderlust.
If anything studying abroad has created this insatiable hole in my soul that can only be satisfied with new adventures and new places.
I now know that I want to travel the world.
I want to see the world. 
I want to experience things outside of my comfort zone. 
I want to gain a further appreciation and understanding for other cultures. 
I want to have stories so crazy nobody would ever believe them. 
I want to use my experiences to help others. 
I want to road trip with my friends across America just because we can.
I want to go to Africa and work with children. 
I want to spend the night in a jungle, preferably one that won't have spiders. 
I want to hold a baby gorilla and have it cling to my arms and my heart forever.
I want to visit temples in parts of Asia. 
I want to visit a native tribe and learn something new from them. 
I want to meet new people who will become a part of my life, even if it is for a short while. 
My point is that I'm not done travelling. 
When I come home I hope that I am preparing for the next adventure no matter what it may be. 
I never want to lose my sense of wanderlust.