The other day for my philosophy class I had to go to a lecture titled, “Philosophical Streetwalking: A Guided Tour”.  Luckily I get extra credit for it!  The professor’s main point of the lecture was about how your best thoughts are those that you do when you are walking.  Jean Jacques Rousseau, who was known as the solitary walker, once stated that his “mind only works with [his] legs” and when he stops walking he stops thinking.

Going on a journey is a thinking tool because this is where we realize who we are.  We have enough time to ponder in solidarity and really can discover our true selves.

This is why I am a huge believer in traveling.  I really truly believe that traveling opens up doors and allows us to see and experience things that we normally never could.  Going to Italy was the most beneficial thing I ever did for myself.  I really put myself out there, I went to Italy on my own not knowing anybody.  I forced myself to make new friends and explore cities that were foreign to me.  I truly believe I grew over the course of that month.  I was able to see first hand pieces of architecture that were hundreds of years old and travel down paths that amazing people in history once did.

I hope that Spain will be another experience like this for me.  Although I am going with three friends (ironically the ones I met in Italy), I will still be in another foreign place and teaching children from another part of the world for four months.  The best learning happens when you are uncomfortable because it causes you to push yourself.  This will be such an amazing experience and I cannot wait for it to happen.  I honestly think after making myself vulnerable in a new country I will become more comfortable within myself after overcoming such a huge challenge.

You always need to challenge yourself otherwise you never grow as a person.