It was a smoggy and humid summer day, nothing less than you’d expect from Beijing. Walking down the street market packed tighter than sardines, I couldn't help but admire the hustle and bustle of it all.  Watching people walking by; grinning ear to ear, the odd smell of the scorpions stacked up and fried on sticks, and little toy drones and helicopters buzzing overhead.  Before I could get any more engulfed in the market, I was pulled out of the quicksand by a slight tug on my sleeve.  I looked down to my left to find a short, wrinkled, elderly Chinese woman creating a camera symbol with her hands, and struggling to form the word “photo.”  I soon realised she wanted to take a photo together, and we did.  It was just such a spontaneous and lovely event, that it will undoubtedly be something that I’ll always remember.

Through the experience, and my whole visit through China, I couldn’t help but think about was how different I envisioned China and its people being.  There I was standing among the haze and business of China, thankful to not be in a stuffy and boring classroom. And that was the spark to my belief.

I believe that there is so much to learn through travel, that you just can’t learn in a classroom; and not everything we learn about other countries and places are necessarily true.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to learn the classroom stuff, but learning is such a different, and in my opinion, more engaging experience when you’re traveling. Something about actually being there and living life with the locals creates this hopeful and wondrous outlook on the world, I’m fortunate enough to have a mother who has taken me around the world, and I can never be  grateful enough.   Because of how she was raised, my mom has made travel a priority for my family.  She sees the importance in it, and wants me to gain a more worldly perspective.

Vacation is enjoyable even if you let your brain turn to mush, and do absolutely nothing.  Learning and actually seeking out new things makes the whole experience so much more convivial and engaging.  From Alaska to the Panama Canal, to the town 10 miles north- I’ve learned about policies, climate change, food, culture, and so much more.  They’re all things that can be touched upon in the classroom, but actually, physically being there creates this epiphany of  “wow, this is real and amazing, and there’s so much of the world I don’t know, or understand yet.” And thankfully with each new adventure, comes a stronger sense of that epiphany, a heap of new knowledge, a feeling excitement, and a yearning for more.

There is a tremendous amount of new knowledge, even if you're not travelling out of town.  I believe there is something to learn around every corner.  I encourage you to go out and immerse yourself wherever that may be.  Ask questions, discover something you never knew.  As long as you’re out in the community look for a new perspective, you’re doing well.  There is something extremely rewarding about learning something new and genuinely intriguing outside of the classroom.  This is what I believe.