Traveling was a dream that I had since I was small. My imagination ran wild with images of mist-covered mountains and trails covered in foreign flowers, dyed with colors I had only seen in cartoons. The sky was a crystal blue, inviting me to explore. Nothing was left unturned! In my imagination, I was snorkeling with fish deep in the ocean. I felt the feeling of touching the folded, rough skin of an elephant. I dreamed about the new sounds and foods I would experience.
I wanted to see the world, to feel out of place in a culture so different from my own. I wanted to understand the values, thoughts and everyday lives of others. I wanted to walk in their shoes through travel. I wanted to learn about their dreams, eat their food, listen to their music and dance with them. I spent hours daydreaming about the people I would meet and the new languages I would learn. I imagined how the words would feel as I said them, and thought about the new friends I would make. I could imagine the laughter from jokes in a foreign language. Through my imagination, I began to realize that the world was much larger than myself. I realized that there is so much to see! We are only a small part of the larger painting.
