Top 5 Things Travel has Taught Me About Myself

5 Things Travel Taught Me About Myself

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What has Travel done for me lately? It has given me a opportunity to really see the strength in myself. I believe that when you have supplanted your self into a place where you know no one or anything, not even the language - you really discover what you are. What your real self is. So this is what I learned about myself in travelling about.

1. My fierce independent streak has combined with cooperativity. - I have this undeniable need to make my own destiny and to make life work for myself. It is only through optimism and hard work can the most dire circumstances appear easier to deal with. And I need to be able to do it on my own, without help, though I will never forgo asking help if I need it. I like making my own schedule, but at the same time can follow another’s. It takes a village indeed.

2. I can talk to a brick wall if need be. - When you don’t know anyone at all in a new country, the only way to make friends is by talking to anyone and everyone. How else could I have made the amazing friends that i have now. It is scary, but at least I try. And a lot of my friends told me that they were so relieved when I came up to them and started talking to them, because they were too shy. And I used to be so shy when I was younger, and I know what is like when you want to talk to someone, but no one says hello. I used to always carry a book in my bag, just so I’d have something to do. Now my purses are still laden with books, but only when I am headed to study, not to avoid talking to anyone. And how else was I going to buy eggs, if I couldn’t pantomime and charade my way through making an ommelette? Americans, we can be a friendly folk.

3. I can find my way around a kitchen - much to my mother’s utter astonishment. I really learned how to cook here in Hungary, and now I dare you to an enchilada cook off any day. Since my parents were vegetarian, I never knew how to make meat either, So learning how to cook chicken and beef, with out making it hard or dry was a trial in the making. The first time I made a full dinner for a friend, his review was, “it’s edible!” So I’ve come a long way since then. Just wait until you’ve had my apple pie or snickerdoodles. Also, my taste buds changed a million times over. Things I hate, I love and vice versa. Three years ago, you would have never seen me with coffee, and now that is how I start my day.

4. I am a morning person - Now, I’ve held prizes for sleeping in late, and for ages on end. You could’ve called me Rip Van Winkle, for all the difference there was. But with time, I have become my grandfather - and by that I don’t mean someone who regularly discourses on metaphysics or forget his glasses(though I do forget a lot of things) - I mean, that I wake up early no matter what. Even if I am up late with friends or studying til 5 am, I am up by 9. I think about all those times my parents tried to wake me up in school mornings and now I barely need an alarm.

5. I don’t know this one yet. - Every day I discover new things about myself, my resolve and personality. I have no idea what discovery I will make about my life, or the world around me or my paradigms. When I know, you’ll be the first I’ll tell.

What has travel taught you?

Some Travel inspiration for you:

Nomadic Matt’s Paris, the City of Love - Matt has been everywhere it seems, and the fact that this iconic city still caught his eye - his post made me want to go even more badly then I do already
Almost Fearless’ Entreaty to Americans to go to Croatia - hits home because I just had a friend take a sailing trip around the islands near the tip of Croatia with adventurous results

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5 Comments so far (Add 1 more)

Completely agree and look forward to hearing about some of your travel experiences or challenges. My four years + of OE (Overseas Experience as we call it down under), is a relatively common cultural expectation for us Kiwi’s and Aussies and we have a great time! Can’t say I’ve met too many North American’s on my travel’s - like hen’s teeth. Good on you for being one that does get out there and experience the challenges and tremendous growth that comes with new overseas experiences.

1. Jason on September 6th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Gisele ,I completely agree. Culture of a place is steeped in food and music, not museums. While traveling around Europe, I had a surfeit of museums, old churches, and the like. But I never got sick of seeing the quirky - like the Cave that hold orchestra concerts in Krakow, a crazy modern art exhibition in Vienna, or the best gulyas in Budapest.

2. NewWrldYankee on September 6th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Travel has thought me that I get a bigger kick out of looking at the architecture of homes and building and visiting markets than standing in line to visit yet another museum or another historical building.

At the end of my travels I don’t remember the museums, but I still remember beautiful doors and markets bursting with great food!

Miss Gisele B.

Miss Gisele B.s last blog post..$1000 Victoria Secret Lingerie Gift Card

3. Miss Gisele B. on September 5th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Beau! Nice to see you back! I agree with you - it is so interesting how something you never considered and is second nature in your home country seems so outlandish elsewhere. I just had a massive discussion as to why Americans make wood houses instead of brick. Someone asked me why, and I had to go look it up, because I just never thought about it.

4. NewWrldYankee on September 4th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I think the most important/interesting thing I’ve learned from travel is to know which parts of my own culture are basic humanity and which are culturally learned.

Seeing how other cultures have solved the same problems yours has solved, but in different ways, goes a long way toward helping you to understand how the world really works. Or at least it has for me.

5. the Beau on September 4th, 2008 at 12:05 am