Travel Bug

I have the travel bug. Almost every year for as long as I can remember, my family and I have been going on vacations, traveling to new places around the country and the world. These yearly trips have shown me that traveling is important to get a full understanding of different cultures and perspectives. My adventurous personality and the travel bug has led me to do a Dialogue of Civilizations last summer in the Netherlands and a study abroad this summer to Iceland.

When I return to the U.S. I know that I will be changed by this study abroad. I will be able to interact with people who may not speak English and have grown up in a different culture with different perspectives. I will also be confident in my abilities to navigate not only cities but also the suburbs and highways and be comfortable without using my phone for navigation. One of my goals, probably the same as many others who study abroad, is to balance my classwork with travels; however, the main goal I have is to break out of my comfort zone and immerse myself in everything I do. I expect to achieve this goal by always being open minded and taking every opportunity that is presented to me. I want to be in the moment and experience everything I do, every little detail, whether it is in the classes I am taking or my adventures on the weekends.

Even though almost everyone speaks English as well as Icelandic, I know that I will be nervous while trying to communicate with the locals. In the Netherlands, I felt like I was disrespecting the Dutch culture by always speaking English to the locals, at the little shops, the grocery store, everywhere. While in our small city of Delft, I tried to learn a few important words like please, hello, and thank you so that even when I did speak English, I could use a word or two in Dutch to show that I was trying to learn their native language. I will bring this knowledge with me to Iceland and will learn some words in Icelandic so that I will be able to communicate with the locals in their native language.

I am so excited for this new adventure without my family. Sustainability is a huge part of Iceland; I’m eager to learn about how they have made their country so sustainable and how we can bring some of the ideas and techniques back to the U.S. I’m mostly looking forward to exploring this amazing outdoor country with incredible hikes and food with all my classmates. I know from the little communication we have had that everyone is just as excited and adventurous as I am. Traveling the unscathed wilderness is a dream come true.