One Girl and a Big World

Welcome back dear reader,

I am finally home from school and I’ve got a full summer ahead of me. As such, I’ve decided to look back and see what I have learned from traveling over the past twenty years.

I cannot remember a time where I did not fly on planes. Ever since I was a little baby, I have had a passport to my name. Thanks to my parents and God, these experiences have taught me so much about life.

~History~

History has always been my favorite subject to study. I love stories and history is the story of the world. As someone who could never get enough out of history books, traveling was heaven. As a child and teenager, I learned more about history through travel than I ever did through a textbook. History comes to life when you walk through cities with thousands of years of history imbedded in its DNA. I used to have a file on the Notes App on my phone. That one file held my collection of facts that I would collect as we traveled to different places.

~Cultures~

This world is full of so many ways of life. It is incredible just how many cultures fill this earth. Everything from different foods, houses, traditional dances, and customs make up the cultures of the world. What better way to experience the different cultures than to travel? St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, an Indian wedding in New Delhi, a night in a Bedouin camp outside Petra (complete with sage tea and freezing desert nights), walking through the ruins of Rome and Athens.

~Enthusiasm to Learn~

As a child and teenager, traveling also created a natural sense of curiosity. This would lead to me studying history as my major in college. Two of the three history subjects I enjoy, Polish history and Teutonic and Templar history, were developed because of the traveling I did before high school graduation. Looking back, traveling prepared me more for studying history in college than any history class did. Traveling teaches you to love learning.

~Gratitude~

I have seen much of the world, which includes the heartbreaking aspects as well. Seeing these harder aspects of life that some people live in and through gave me a sense of gratitude and appreciation for the life I have and the country I live in. People truly do not understand how blessed they are to live in the United States. We as a nation are blessed beyond measure.

~How To Live~

In an age of electronics and hours of daily screen time, traveling helps you disconnect and experience the beautiful world we live in. So much of life passes by without us even noticing. We only get one life. No matter where you travel to, how near or far the destination is from your home, or what you do while traveling, you’ve now experienced a little more of God’s Creation. When you see the beauty and wonder this world has to offer, it helps to humble you and to give you an understanding that you have so much to learn and live through.

~Spontaneity~

It’s always good to have a plan in place for what you want to do while traveling, but it is important to learn to be flexible and spontaneous in the moment. It’s all part of the experience. We have to learn to let go of strict and rigorous planning sometimes and just live in the moment.

~Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously~

So many of my travel stories could not have been a possibility if my family did not know how to laugh or how to laugh at their own self. Of course, some are more uptight than others in my family, but at the end of the day, if we had an incident that can become a funny moment, we let it be one. It is very important to know how to laugh at yourself. No one likes a stickler and there is no better place to learn how to not take yourself seriously than when you spend days and sometimes weeks in confined quarters with your family.

~Social Skills~

I was homeschooled all the way to graduation. Like most homeschoolers, my mom was asked countless times how my brother and I would ever socialize. Well, I am glad to say I am not anti-social nor do I lack communication skills. In fact, traveling has only sharpened them. It was and still is common for me to strike up a conversation with my neighbor on the plane or in the line waiting to check-in at the airport. Everywhere I go, I remind myself that this world does not revolve around me and there are billions of people on this earth. If I can ever be friendly and converse with a person while on a trip I will. I have learned so much about people and their customs sitting at the airport or on a flight. Talking also helps pass the time and makes your trip so much more enjoyable.

Thank you for reading 🙂

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Yours truly,

Sofia