What traveling has taught me.

I am no world traveler. I haven't been to far off countries. In fact I've only been off of this continent once, and that was to visit my sister, who is a world traveler, while she was living in Germany. And the only reason I've been to more than one other country is because I grew up an hour away from Canada.

However, I have lived a lot of places. The amount of times I've moved is so confusing, that sometimes I just skip over the in between and say I moved from Rochester, New York, which is where I grew up. (Okay, I grew up outside of Rochester, in a small town named Caledonia. It has no sewers, no fast food, the closest Wal-Mart is a half hour away, and I graduated with 85 people.)

The truth is I didn't move from Rochester/Caledonia. My timeline of travel goes something like this: 

Caledonia

Marietta, OH

Caledonia

Geneseo, NY

Charlottesville/Afton, VA

Albuquerque, NM

Caledonia

Wilmington, NC

Indianapolis, IN

Luckily, I stumbled upon a traveling partner and a dog who enjoy the adventures as much as I do. 

I've learned a lot about people while traveling. Each place I've lived (and that's the thing, I've lived in each of these places for longer than a month) has taught me something new. 

I've learned that people have the same problems in life whether they live in a beautiful beach town or the dry desert. I've learned that Wegmans grocery store is not matched by Kroger, Harris Teeter, Smith's, or Marsh. I've learned that no one drives as fast or aggressively as I'd hope they would. I've learned that no city does snow removal up to my liking. I've learned that every city is different and the same all at once. I've learned that the longer you are away from a place, the more it stays the same, and the more you change. I've learned that home is wherever I can cuddle on the couch with David and Juneau and watch a movie.

Caledonia

My Best Friends from home. Michelle & Carrie.

Caledonia taught me about friendship and love. It will be home for as long as I live. My parents still live there, my sisters and I made hilarious memories there, and I have the two best friends any girl could ask for who experienced all Caledonia has to offer with me. I found my first love in Caledonia. It brought me the game of soccer. Caledonia is a special place. I've already written a love letter to my hometown, so I won't go any further... Caledonia also taught me to get out. As much as I love it, I could never settle down there. I like to do things the hard way.  

The freshman girls on the soccer team.
Me, Rachael, Christi, Rachel & Aly.

Marietta

Marietta taught me that friendship isn't only rooted in years of knowing one another. My few short
months at Marietta College were the first I'd ever been away from home. It was the first time I really knew what it meant to be drunk. I played soccer and loved it. I loved the friends that I met there, and I don't think I actually gave it a chance. Marietta taught me that regrets are real.

Geneseo

Phi Pi. Fall 2008.

Geneseo taught me to look out for myself. The people I met in Geneseo are irreplaceable in my life. It was the first time in my life I was single and I wasn't playing soccer competitively. I thought I would feel lost because of that. However, I found a group of girls in the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority that accepted everything about me, including the fact that I liked to drink every night of the week. My years at Geneseo are some of the best I can remember. However, being close to home still (about a half hour from where I graduated from high school) ignited a fire inside of me to travel some more. So I did.

David & I. 

Charlottesville

Charlottesville taught me what the real world was like. Up until now, I had the convenience of being a college student. When I moved to Virginia, I had two jobs, bills, student loan payments (which I include a completely separate category than "bills" simply because of how evil they are), a new relationship. I had to actually join a gym. I had to cook dinner. And breakfast, and even lunch. I love Charlottesville. It's a beautiful, beautiful place that gave me my two boys, David and Juneau.

Albuquerque

The Balloon Festival in Albuquerque.

Albuquerque taught me to be spontaneous. When I left Charlottesville, I was just itching for something new. David and I went to New Mexico chasing a dream. Some people may think I regret doing this, but I don't. In fact I would tell anyone reading this to chase a dream. Take a risk. Travel to a place you've never been to. We didn't have a place to live lined up, we just packed up the car and drove. We bought a couch and a bed when we got there. It was an amazing experience. We had nothing more than what we needed. 

Juneau on Wrightsville Beach.

Wilmington

Wilmington taught me to stop worrying all the time. We left Albuquerque on such a sour note, I was scared to take risks again. David moved to Wilmington two months before I made the trip down. I remember having a panic attack the day I left. I was living at home with my parents again, it was safe.
The first thing I did when I got to Wilmington was step out onto the beach. Wilmington is my favorite place in this world. David and I got back on track, we worked jobs that allowed us to spend days by the ocean, and I fell in love with One Tree Hill (which was filmed in Wilmington). I met a few people who had ambitions, but did not stress that they were not in that place in their lives just yet. They taught me to live in the moment. Ahh, I miss the beach!

Indianapolis

Indianapolis taught me that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. When I finally stopped worrying about everything while in North Carolina, my dreams started coming true. I worked towards a master's degree, got my first job in journalism, coached soccer, started writing again. Indianapolis is a simple city. It's nothing overwhelming or special, but it provided me with a stable life.


I challenge you to travel. Spend money you don't have. Listen to music. Do something that makes you uncomfortable. Meet new people and ask about their life.