Wanderlust
Traveling is something that I am incredibly passionate about. Every aspect of it excites me. Of course the whole process of planning a trip and going somewhere new is fun, but my favorite part of traveling is being able to surround myself in a new culture. There is something so thrilling about being in a new city and knowing you’re hundreds or even thousands of miles away from home. Throughout my life, I have been able to travel to many incredible places. Some of the places I’ve been to are England, Scotland, Wales, Egypt, Germany, and Mexico. I’ve also been able to travel extensively throughout the United States.
During my dad’s time in the oil business, my family and I lived in many different countries. 5 weeks after I was born we moved to Cairo, Egypt. We lived there for a few months before moving to Essen, Germany. I don’t remember Egypt, but I remember Germany well. I remember the apartment we lived in that overlooked the busy city street. I remember the snow in the winter that covered absolutely everything. I even remember the McDonald’s that was underneath my dad’s office. When I was 4 years old, we moved back to the United States to Texas. Moving back to Texas didn’t stop my world travels though. My dad was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, so all of his side of the family still lives in England, Scotland, or Spain. We travel to Europe as often as we can to go visit and explore. We used to go over there more when my sister and I were younger but now we go at least every other year. Of the places I’ve been overseas, London is by far my favorite place. It is such a unique city. The people there are so interesting, just from the way they dress and interact. The buildings are so old that you can just see the history written all over them. Knowing that so many important and historical people walked the streets excites me so much. The culture in Europe is just completely different from culture in the US. It is fascinating being over there and being surrounded by the different dialects, traditions, and customs like driving on the opposite side of the road, the different terms they use when they speak, and the type of fashion.
Besides being able to travel with my family, I have been on multiple mission trips. In high school I was able to go to Matamoras, Mexico twice and Seattle, Washington. Going to Mexico was one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had. The people who live there have so much less than we do in the US, and yet they still find joy in their lives. While we were there both times, we worked at a children’s home with about 200 orphans. This experience was one of the most rewarding of my life. Showing the kids love and just making them smile was something that I will never forget. Leaving them on the last day of the trips was always so devastating. Not knowing if someone was going to love on them and care for them was hard to deal with. When I went to Seattle, I wasn’t expecting to see as much of a need from the people there. What I quickly discovered was that there are people in need everywhere, even in the United States.
Being able to travel so much has completely changed the world I live in. I’ve realized that my world is so small, but doesn’t have to be. Just because I live in Texas and go to a conservative school and have a “normal” family doesn’t mean that I can’t be open to new ideas and cultures. Traveling to different places teaches you things that you can’t learn from a book. You learn about other people, but you also learn about yourself. I’ve been given a passion for people. After traveling and seeing a little bit of the world, I now know that helping and mentoring people is something that I always need to pursue. There are so many things I don’t know and have yet to see and this excites me. I want my world to be as big as possible and traveling allows me to do that.
Traveling is something that I am incredibly passionate about. Every aspect of it excites me. Of course the whole process of planning a trip and going somewhere new is fun, but my favorite part of traveling is being able to surround myself in a new culture. There is something so thrilling about being in a new city and knowing you’re hundreds or even thousands of miles away from home. Throughout my life, I have been able to travel to many incredible places. Some of the places I’ve been to are England, Scotland, Wales, Egypt, Germany, and Mexico. I’ve also been able to travel extensively throughout the United States.
During my dad’s time in the oil business, my family and I lived in many different countries. 5 weeks after I was born we moved to Cairo, Egypt. We lived there for a few months before moving to Essen, Germany. I don’t remember Egypt, but I remember Germany well. I remember the apartment we lived in that overlooked the busy city street. I remember the snow in the winter that covered absolutely everything. I even remember the McDonald’s that was underneath my dad’s office. When I was 4 years old, we moved back to the United States to Texas. Moving back to Texas didn’t stop my world travels though. My dad was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, so all of his side of the family still lives in England, Scotland, or Spain. We travel to Europe as often as we can to go visit and explore. We used to go over there more when my sister and I were younger but now we go at least every other year. Of the places I’ve been overseas, London is by far my favorite place. It is such a unique city. The people there are so interesting, just from the way they dress and interact. The buildings are so old that you can just see the history written all over them. Knowing that so many important and historical people walked the streets excites me so much. The culture in Europe is just completely different from culture in the US. It is fascinating being over there and being surrounded by the different dialects, traditions, and customs like driving on the opposite side of the road, the different terms they use when they speak, and the type of fashion.
Besides being able to travel with my family, I have been on multiple mission trips. In high school I was able to go to Matamoras, Mexico twice and Seattle, Washington. Going to Mexico was one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had. The people who live there have so much less than we do in the US, and yet they still find joy in their lives. While we were there both times, we worked at a children’s home with about 200 orphans. This experience was one of the most rewarding of my life. Showing the kids love and just making them smile was something that I will never forget. Leaving them on the last day of the trips was always so devastating. Not knowing if someone was going to love on them and care for them was hard to deal with. When I went to Seattle, I wasn’t expecting to see as much of a need from the people there. What I quickly discovered was that there are people in need everywhere, even in the United States.
Being able to travel so much has completely changed the world I live in. I’ve realized that my world is so small, but doesn’t have to be. Just because I live in Texas and go to a conservative school and have a “normal” family doesn’t mean that I can’t be open to new ideas and cultures. Traveling to different places teaches you things that you can’t learn from a book. You learn about other people, but you also learn about yourself. I’ve been given a passion for people. After traveling and seeing a little bit of the world, I now know that helping and mentoring people is something that I always need to pursue. There are so many things I don’t know and have yet to see and this excites me. I want my world to be as big as possible and traveling allows me to do that.