Why do I travel?

I was asked why I travel....

I travel in order to learn, and as I travel I come to the conclusion that there is so much more out there to learn than I ever could have imagined. My idea of the knowledge that I would be given upon leaving my home in Nashville is completely different from what I call knowledge sitting at a little desk on Calle Aragó in Barcelona: they aren’t even comparable.

Upon deciding to study in Spain I longed for a sense of adventure. I longed for the new sights, sounds, people and places I would see. I longed for a freedom to do whatever I wanted to do, be whoever I wanted to be, and become whoever I was meant to become without the pressures and demands of life at home; I longed for freedom I had only heard about, yet never truly enjoyed. When I was in the Dominican Republic I got the smallest taste of this freedom and it just left me wanting more.

I wanted more of the unknown. I wanted a chance to prove to not only everyone else, but also to myself that I could step out of my bright home full of love, and into the darkness and not only survive on my own, but also thrive on my own. I was traveling in order to force myself to take off all the protective layering that had kept me warm all my life, and rebuild all my defenses with my own strength, knowledge and intuition.

Now that I have lived in Barcelona for a week, and am attempting to make the transition from tourist, to traveler, my desires abroad have doubled inside. There was no way I could have dreamed of the potential this semester has, because everything about Spain, about Europe even was unknown. I had no idea what it felt like to live in a place that not only spoke one language I didn’t speak well, but primarily spoke another that I didn’t speak a word of. I had no idea how degrading it felt like to be looked at like a foreigner, or just another stupid tourist. I know no idea how liberating it would feel to not know a soul, and to be whoever I wanted to be, whoever I am; to have the tools and resources to answer all my questions about life, about love, and about faith from an entirely different perspective.

Now that I have begun my journey, I can already notice the slightest difference. I walk with my head a little higher already. I not only know exactly who I am, but also what else I want to become, and what I hope I never am. Each step I take I am given the opportunity to both thank God for who and what I have at home, and also the opportunity to take a little good from this place back home with me.

Despite all of these differences that I am seeing between the small home I am building in Barcelona, and my home in the United States, I am also learning that all people are the same. Though their skin, language, traditions, history, location, and everyday routines may be a little different, we all have the same hopes, wants, needs and desires. We all long for shelter, nourishment, education and fun; we all long for peace, safety, happiness and love. I travel in order to learn these differences, these similarities and to grow as a result of my knowledge, as well as leave a piece of my own heart and knowledge each place I visit.