Travel.

I've always wanted to travel--just find a flight, pack a bag and jet off to some place other than here. Don't get me wrong, I love where I live and all it has to offer, but I find myself longing for some place new. I've lived here all my life, and though I am exposed to many different people of many different backgrounds, I want to be able to experience that first hand. I've been out of the country once--I went to the Bahamas for a school trip in 7th grade. It was amazing. A friend of mine said to me once when I was telling her about it, "Maybe you're just so in awe because you've never been any place else." I didn't know how to take that really. I didn't know if I should feel awful because she's making it clear to me that I haven't seen anything of the world and that she has, or if I should feel neutral because it was just a comment. In the end, I tried hard to take it with a grain of salt, but it's always in the back of my mind when I get on Pinterest and see all these beautiful, colorful places that I've never seen in person.

I feel limited. I feel like there's an entire world out there that I haven't explored yet. And, of course, I know I'm young, and my life isn't even half over, but in the world I live in (remember? the shiny new Bentleys?) people are able to just get up and say, "Hmm, maybe I'll go to France," and they just go. It's actually quite fascinating knowing that these people have that much money at their fingertips to spend whenever they want. It's fascinating, but I feel left behind. I feel left behind and, quite honestly, poor. I'm far from poor and my family does have a lot of nice things and nice opportunities, but the cost for seven people to go to, say, Italy and sight see for a week would be astronomical. Our vacations take lots of planning no matter where we go just because of the sheer number of us!

Though I feel left behind, I know my time will come to go to the beautiful, awe-inspiring places that I dream of. And while I'm here waiting, I try to culture myself as much as possible--going to new restaurants, visiting the museums in my city and asking the many people I know from different countries what their lives are like. So, if you're not able to just find a flight, pack a bag and jet off to some place other than here, find some things in your own backyard. Museums, restaurants, and most of all, people are some of your best resources to "visit" a place you've never been before.


Signed,
Penelope P.