What Is An Unforgettable Experience

It was about more than half way into our flight and I was abruptly woken up by what seemed to be a lot of turbulence. Turbulence is a feeling that gets me extremely sick. Turbulence reminds me of roller coasters when you reach a high dive drop and my heart

Having read the story “Me Talk Pretty One Day “, by David Sedaris, reminisced me about my past memories and had the feeling of going back into my past life. Meeting with a people from totally a new world, speaking in a language which you have never heard, and adjusting to a new lifetime had a great impression on me. Life is an interesting appearance with its full of unexpected changes and an interesting adventure. From my point of view, when a person moves abroad, he or she becomes more appreciative of their time in their native country; at least in my experience.

In her essay, “Seeing”, Annie Dillard describes that someone’s perception of the world are based on preconceived judgements and ideas. Traveling is an example that illustrates that there are many different perceptions of the world, depending on the person. When one travels, their impression will be affected by expectations of the trip. Often, if someone has an image in their head of how traveling will be, they aren’t open-minded to diversity. An individual’s perception of traveling can be affected by what people find enjoyable, their tolerance of creating intercultural relationships, and their appreciation for their own life.

With living in Italy, I got the chance to live in Leece, a population of more than 200,000. Clearly as this was something I was not used to at all, I took a leap and began my journey. As I exited the plane my expectations were unclear. However, my goals were to be confident, gain independence and learn as much as possible about a new culture and country. Although the initial culture shock, going from the desert to a metropolis was expected, I recognized that I took something with me so invaluable. Leaving Coolidge gave me a drive to expand my small comfort zone and “spread my wings”. That desire I took with me helped overcome the struggles I faced in Italy. There was no one time that I did not stop exploring, or keep pushing myself, even after became used to living in the city. This thinking and mentality stuck with me no matter where I

His 18 years of life crossed his eyes instantly. He started to become nervous and insecure gradually as the airplane was elevating in the air, and he was afraid that the airplane might drop. He could hear the wheels rolling on the ground loudly and it was unpleasant to him. Fernando’s body was reacting. He felt compressed in his chest that his lung was too large for his chest, so he had trouble of breathing, and his heart was pounding rapidly against his rib cage. During the trip, the airplane met a turbulence, so he began to feel more anxious and fearful. He felt that everything in his body wanted to leave him. His blood pressure increased, so he became agitated. Soon he started to feel dizzy and light headed. He was about to lose control of his body; therefore, he grabbed the seat handles tightly and pressed his feet intensely against the floor to prevent his body from shaking. Meanwhile, he was being extremely quiet, and all he heard were the turbulence, his heart beat and heavy breathing. As Fernando described, the ocean view out of the window was beautiful, yet he could not enjoy looking at it at all.

Throughout history, the progressions of mankind has given way to a perpetually globalizing world. Globalization, the “process of interaction and integration among peoples of different nations, has strengthened human ties while our race has formed societies in every corner of the globe. As our world becomes more interconnected, the resulting blend of cultures has led numerous societal features to be shared between peoples, blurring cultural division lines. Globalization’s tying binds may frustrate many modern travelers seeking unique and special travel experiences due to the standardization of destinations resulting from increasingly cozy international social relations, but continued and extensive human travel has demonstrated that the essential human urge to move is a product of our search for fulfillment in what is unfamiliar and will not be suppressed by global interconnection.

You are in an airport waiting for your plane to arrive. You've never flown before, and are more terrified than you can ever remember being. Everyone has told you the supposedly comforting statistics - "millions of planes take off each day and there's only a handful of crashes," "flying is safer than driving." You know rationally that there is no reason to be so scared, but regardless your heart is racing, your palms are sweating, and you're light-headed. Simply the thought of being up in the air, out of control, makes you feel faint. Finally the flight attendant announces that your plane has arrived. But as all the other passengers line up to get onboard, you grab your luggage and walk straight out of the airport,

Times Square in New York City, Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., and Denali National Park in George Parks, Alaska. The moments I spent in these places are characterized by my ability to roam for hours and just explore. Whether it be meeting street artists who are creating caricatures of tourists, running into John Kerry, finding grizzly bears in their natural habitat, these moments weren’t just mundane hours; they ushered in the notion of mindfulness. Every instant during these trips, I thought of living in the moment and not dwell on the past or the future. The unknown experiences that awaited me as the day progressed in these places correlate my ability to finally embrace one idea:

Traveling can be enjoyable and frightening at the same time. Being from Honduras, my family would travel back in forth from the U.S. to Honduras every summer. Being able to experience living in two different cultures was a good experience and allowed for a more understanding approach of different societies and how the identity of the people living in those Society’s is unique.

My forehead was rested against the cool plexiglass of the airplane window. The blue seatbelt was pulled tight across my hips. My fingers drummed on my armrest. I felt sick, but was it from nerves or from excitement? This was my first time flying alone and my first time visiting New York City.

It wasn’t my first time travelling outside the country. I had gone on numerous journeys with my parents, and my many experiences gave me a broad view of the world. From seeing the content beachside life of residents in Cancun to the bustling, trendy streets of London, the small fragments of the Earth’s surface I’ve been exposed to have opened my eyes to so much enjoyment and cultural enrichment.

Having been to so many countries, my standard is no longer confined to the town of 27,000. In Wilmette, there is no poverty, little to no crime, and not much diversity. Through traveling, those experiences challenged how I saw myself, my hometown, and my thoughts. Traveling has opened my eyes to and shaped my view of a different world than the privileged one I live in.

longest car ride in my life. My stomach felt nauseous the whole ride.” It wasn't difficult

I felt the eye of judgment piercing through me as I entered the plane. I could hear people whispering and giggling. While scanning the rows to find my assigned seat, I could see the looks of concern from those who thought I might sit by them. The clicking sounds of seat belt buckles almost sent me into a panic. I was dreading asking the flight attendant for a lap belt extension, or worse, having it offered without asking. Words were not necessary to feel the intensity of mass criticism. To make matters worse, it was a hot day, and my clothes were sticking to my body, outlining my multiple layers of over-indulgence. I was overheating and could taste salty beads of sweat trickling down my face.

Throughout life I have had many memorable events. The memorable times in my life vary from being the worst times in my life and some being the best, either way they have become milestones that will be remembered forever. The best day of my life was definitely the day that I received my drivers' license. This day is one of the most memorable because of the feelings I had when I received it, the opportunities that were opened up for me and the long lasting benefits that I received from it that still exist today.