Student Reflection
Give in to Wanderlust
Wanderlust is defined as a strong desire to travel or
longing to wander. People often say they’ve been bitten by the travel bug; once
they start they just can’t get enough and want to keep going. I am here to say
I am one of those people.
Almost exactly 2 years ago I left the Chicago area to
spend a semester studying abroad in Granada, Spain. I knew it would be amazing;
I hoped I would love it and come back with great stories and even better
memories, but it was greater than my wildest dreams. Not just my time in
Granada, which was incredible (I’ll talk more about this in another post), but
the experiences I had outside of
Granada were equally important.
Traveling
to other parts of Spain and other European countries was an amazing opportunity
that I’m so thankful I had. I learned so much about cultures other than my own,
but more importantly I learned a lot about myself. Within Spain I could use my
Spanish to help me get around: I could read a map or metro schedule, I could go
right up to people and ask questions if I was lost, I could even ask people to
take my picture and they could understand me! Granted, the confidence to do all
these things did not come right away (although I’ve never been a shy person)
because I was still a bit embarrassed by my Spanish-speaking abilities. But
know that the more you talk to people, even if it’s just to ask a quick
question, your confidence will grow and you will feel more comfortable
approaching people and initiating a conversation with them. My travels within
Spain were great for this, and of course for practicing speaking and listening
skills in my non-native language.
But
the times I learned the most about myself were the times I traveled by myself.
Before I did that, I probably would NOT have recommended it to anyone. I mean,
traveling around Europe by yourself? As a 20-year-old American girl? Some of my
friends told me my stories sounded like the beginning to the movie “Taken 2”.
Maybe they did, but I didn’t care anymore. I had incredible experiences,
especially when things didn’t go as planned!
During
our first week-long vacation I traveled with 2 other friends to Italy for a few
days, but they wanted to return early and spend several days in Madrid. I
wanted to keep going, keep traveling further away from Spain. I thought I’d go
see my best friend who was studying abroad in Belgium, but it turned out it
wasn’t a good time for her. So the day before my friends left for Madrid, I
booked an entire trip to Budapest, Hungary by myself. I was nervous, but
excited! And it turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I met other
girls my age from all over the world at my hostel and I now have places to stay
if I ever want to visit Brazil or Singapore. Before they adopted me though, I
ate lunch in a nearby restaurant and asked my waiter what sights I should see.
I took his recommendation and crossed the Danube River via the old Chain Bridge
and ascended Castle Mount. Night was falling as I did so and by the time I
reached the top of the very, very large hill it was dark and the city was lit
up for the night. Being up there alone, with the most incredible view, I had an
epiphany: I realized I could do things like this by myself. I didn’t need
anyone else with me to be able to travel to amazing places and do new things. I
accomplished crossing the city, climbing this hill, and finding my way back to
my hostel with a map and my own wits.
That
was a defining moment for me, a freeing moment. Realizing I could successfully
travel on my own gave me the confidence to do it again. I think it is something
everyone needs to do. I would recommend trying it first in a country where you
speak the language, then branch out when you feel comfortable. But trust me,
once you start, you won’t want to stop. I’m already trying to plot my return to
Europe after graduation! And then hopefully to South America, Asia, etc. I plan
on giving in to my wanderlust; I hope you do too.
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