The World

The world. A beautiful and confusing and brilliant thing. A lot of people think of their town as the world, or their country, but in truth, there is so much that we are oblivious to. The miraculous thing is that some oblivion is held in our own hands! By travelling, the world becomes both bigger and smaller. We are people of the earth, rather than just people of our city. We see more culture, we're aware of more people, music, history, politics, art, religion, education. And the thing is, the thing so many people are unaware of, is that we hold what portion of the world we will see in our own hands.

"There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it."

That is a quote from Brave the movie, one of my favorite movies, and I completely agree. The world is not a sugary thing. There is beauty, there is terror. There is misery, there is joy. Like yin and yang, they coexist. To see the beauty of the world, we have to scare ourselves. We have to put ourselves out there, and it is not easy. You will cry, you will feel very much alone, you will have to leave people behind. But it is worth it. Oh, God, is it worth it. 

When you learn a new language, the expanse of The Unknown shrinks considerably. You sing songs in foreign tongue, learn a whole different side of history, and are exposed to so many more people, experiences, and culture. Buy one plain ticket. Take one language class, and work so hard and I promise you will be changed! 

Personally, I long to see the world. I want to study abroad, in high school or college. I want to become fluent in another language. I want to live overseas and explore different cities and countries and regions and the world. Oh, it's wanderlust. It's a passion that will last a life time, and those who have it are extremely lucky people. Where would I be if I didn't want to see the world? 

One place I long to see very much is France. I've read a lot of stories, and I'm on my second year of studying French. I didn't take the language because I needed a credit. I took it because of the beauty, the thrill of when you can speak freely, and the rich culture. Wanderlust. 

Do you long to see the world? Where do you want to go? The hopeful thinking is just part of the adventure, but every adventure is meant to begin, and every adventure has an end for a person. When will your adventure begin?