Heard this cliche before? "I want to travel the world." Yea. You have. You've probably heard it on most of your romantic comedy films that you choose to watch or maybe a dating website commercial such as match.com or singlechristianmingle.com. That line right there is used to reel people in, capture their attention, and gain impressions. Wouldn't you be impressed if your blind date said that to you out of nowhere?
What goals and ambitions does she have? Pretty high ones, I'd say. Wow, he must be culturally sound. How exotic she must be!
This is what they will think about all night, once their date drops the line.
First off, it's not that cliche in today's world (no pun intended). Most people nowadays want to settle down right away after getting married and stay close to home in the country (country side that is) with a dozen kids flocking around chickens and cows. Did I mention the white picket fence? (Now that's a cliche for you!) But what do I want? I'll tell you.
I want to travel the entire world! (Please take me seriously!) I've seen tons of pictures on all the various climates and cultures just in Asia! Don't even get me started on my love for the European road trip. South America might be a neat way to exercise my three years of spanish class, as well. Speaking of foreign language, how am I going to visit all of these countries with no proper oral training? I plan to learn a few languages along the way.
On my list of languages to learn before I start this trip is: Spanish (completely), Italian (very similar to spanish), French (so, so, so pretty!), and possibly something a little on the tricky side... like Chinese or Russian. Now I know this seems like an impossible task, but if you asked any foreigner (outside of the U.S.) how many languages they are fluent in... what would they say? THREE!?!? Tri-lingual. Really? This is no joke. I was on a ferry in Mexico on my way to Cozumel (beautiful, off mainland island of the Yucatan Peninsula), and there he was! A beautiful Mexican boy that looked to be about 18. He was on his way to see a canoeing festival that his sister was participating in. He noticed that me, my mother, and some of our newly met friends were discussing the spanish language, and he happily joined in the fun. He later informed us that he knew Spanish (of course), Catalan (a regional Spanish), Mayan (ancient-Mexican indian language), Italian (very fluent), French (learning), and, obviously, English. I couldn't fathom how a boy at such a young age could learn that many languages and be some worldly. He could survive in almost any country I bet. (This is another topic that I will have to revisit. United States foreign language learning versus the rest of the world's polyglotism. Future blog idea?)
Back to the main point; it isn't impossible, just tricky. They say that the english language is the hardest to learn, so I think I have a good head start on some.
So, if I want to learn how to speak some of the Romance languages, I obviously want to visit them! I would love to visit Spain, Italy, and France! Visiting Spain would mean swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, while visiting Italy would mean seeing the Vatican City and all of Rome's eternal city enchantedness. France would be a trip that I would need to burn off for a few months after. The food (mostly dessert) is amazing! The Eiffel Tower would also be a must.
I'm probably not going to be done with Europe after those three. I will probably visit London. Mother often asks me the question, "If you could visit any country in the world, which one would it be?" When I was younger I would answer with the United Kingdom, of course. I was fascinated with the King, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the big two (sometimes three) story busses. She would often reply that England, to her, would be too similar to the United States. She wanted some difference in the culture and climate. If I got the chance to go to England, I would love to visit Ireland as well. Most people say that you can't "do one without the other."
Greece. So old, so quiet and serene. It isn't a country that I know much about. The only thing I know about it is that it is beautiful... and the country (from my sixth grade geography teacher) is shaped like a "greasy hand;" thus the name "Greece." They are known for their blue and white clay buildings overlooking a deep blue sea along with their horses, their polytheism, and Troy. Their food is a cultural dip, or so I've heard. Who hasn't wanted to go to Greece since the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants came out? Seriously.
Asia is a continent that has similar cultures. Most of the ethnic groups have dark hair, eyes, and skin. They say that the North American Indians came from Asia originally, crossing the Siberian land bridge into Canada and on through until they hit Argentina. I laugh at this because it is very convincing. I would love to visit Russia (for Moscow and their colorful buildings), India (for their spices and history with beautiful creatures), China (for economic purposes), and maybe a few others while I'm at it.
The Middle East, though I think it is considered part of Asia, I consider it a region in itself. I want to visit countries in the Middle East for spiritual and religious reasons. They consider it the Holy Land. I wish to walk on the same ground that Jesus Christ himself was believed to have walked on. Israel and Turkey truly fascinate me. The scenery is gorgeous from what I can tell in pictures also.
Who doesn't want to go to Australia? Just on the Kangaroo and Koala Bear principle alone. The beaches are beautiful with dark grey, tall rocks. Sydney would be a musical phenomenon. I might even visit Darcy and Nemo, while I'm at it.
Needless to say, I'd like to visit almost every country there is. I hope that I'm not missing any, but if I am, I will have to write another blog post on them. (1064)
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