Travel

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
-Mark Twain

There is nothing I love more than to travel. The simple act of going somewhere new equates itself to possibility for me. I love not knowing what I will find around the corner or who I will meet, and meeting people is the best part. To meet people, I wholeheartedly recommend youth hostels. Forget the horror film connotations and stay in one; in Europe in particular, and you will meet people from all over the world. I still have friends I've met from my stays in hostels. I may discuss travel a lot in future blogs, because I feel there is no better way to celebrate the magnificent gift we've been given of this earth than to relish every place we can. Drink it in.
The first time I went to Europe (and I'll be the first to say I have so much more travel I want to do and in no way am I a seasoned explorer) but the first time I went was Greece in 2008. I went with my sister and we arrived in Athens to a hot, crowded but still unbelievably historic place. Even the soil held resonance when I imagined that underneath the archeological layers of earth, there were entire lives led and cities constructed. I felt invigorated by being overseas. We traveled on to the awe inducing island of Santorini and then to the tropical vibe of Crete. I learned perhaps for the first time, just how big the world really is. I was reminded about how small it can be too when I mentioned to a stranger on a bus about my experience with a non profit called Invisible Children and a woman a few rows up turned around and asked me if I knew a girl who in fact had been one of my good friends and roommates. Crazy how people can connect. The world is limitless in the things we can experience if we are open to GO.