Introduction
1.1Why did I choose this topic?
Every now and then we completely zone out and forget everything around us. We imagine what life could be like and where it might take us one day. I have caught myself in such a situation several times already and I was usually thinking about traveling. Traveling places. Beautiful, aesthetic and outstanding places. Traveling the world.
I believe each and every one of us is a dreamer deep inside. I also believe many of us dream of traveling somewhere. Somewhere beautiful, somewhere historical maybe, or even somewhere where it is lonely; simply to take a break. To take a break from work. To take a break from family. To take a break from our everyday lives.
Do you have a dream or travel destination?
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A bunch of positive aspects cross my mind too, for instance: You will make life long friends. Your language skills will improve. You will learn lots of new things about you and about others. You will experience a new culture and make unforgettable memories. The list can go on and on.
Nonetheless, I have to admit that there is one other huge negative aspect which probably is the most common reason for students not to go on an exchange year.
I am referring to the money here. Taking an exchange year is in the majority of cases very expensive. So, why do people spend apparently so much money on attending a school in another country? Obviously there are many advantages, but are they sufficient? Or are high schools in the United States simply better and more fun than schools in Germany?
My curiosity to get answers to these questions grew bigger and bigger, so I decided to create a survey. The survey serves to compare the school I am attending right now, the ‘Carolus-Magnus.Gymnasium’ (CMG) in Germany, with the school I was attending in 2016 and 2017, ‘Colby High School’ (CHS) in the United States of
Often times as human, we reflect constantly on our actions and past experiences. Sometimes, we regret our bad habits and try to change the ways we act towards certain experiences in life. As one tries to change their bad habits, they start to realize that their actions were a result of something that effected them in life. In “Breaking Habits” by Alain de Botton, the author talks about exploring one’s surroundings and looking at life with a new set of eyes. De Botton writes about the many benefits of traveling by yourself, which helps break one’s bad habits.
Dreams. We all have dreams and aspirations in this world. Some dream of living a luxurious lifestyle. Others may dream of mastering a difficult skill. While others, such as Helen Zia, dream of equality for people of different races, minorities, and genders.
“Once More to the Lake” by E.B White, and “Summerland” by Peter Jon Lindberg are examples of great traveling experiences “to lose and find ourselves.” In these essays there is not any travel solely for adventure, but mostly for a tradition. They show us that traveling does not really need to be just “about the unfamiliar, the discovered, the passport full of stamps” (Lindberg), but may also be to regret nothing from the trip, even if it was unexpected. In his essay, White addressed his most hidden thoughts and feelings about mortality in a beautiful way, which leads him to lose and find himself. His flashback began the first time White brought his son to the lake in Maine where, after many years since he had come with his father for summer vacation, he became confused by his role.
Growing up in a small, middle class town in the midwest left little cultural diversity surrounding me as a young child. Me and all of my friends seemed to be cut from the same material. For the most part, we all had two loving, caring parents, we often times did not struggle for items necessary to live, and we often times were never introduced to people much different than us. It can be quite easy to say the midwest is the worst place to raise an open minded child; that being said, I believe my first two hours in Germany opened my eyes more than anything else I have gone through in my entire life.
2. What is at the top of your bucket list? - One thing at the top of my bucket list is traveling to every continent. Unfortunately, traveling isn’t something my family does, the only place we travel to is Egypt and then right back to Virginia. That is why as soon as I’m financially able to, then I will begin traveling to each continent.
For example, Sasse views travel as, “...an opportunity to help our kids to get out of their comfort zones, learn to see different social and economic arrangements.” (Sasse 18). Ben Sasse views travel simply as a way to get out of one’s own bubble to learn about the various living situations that people, even a neighborhood away, experience. Therefore, although traveling is not the only way for a kid to be made aware of the different circumstances that people around the world experience on a daily basis, it is one of the most effective ways as they will be able to experience them firsthand. This sentiment holds true in my own life as well as for many others.
Imagine that it’s summertime, year 1955 in Chicago. You are 14 years old and your uncle wants you to ride on a train with him and your cousins down south, Mississippi to be exact, because he has been asked to conduct a funeral. You are excited, not because of the funeral, but because you get to ride on a train with your family to a state you have never seen before. The very thought of spending any part of your summer in a new place, should not only excite you, your mind should be racing with anticipated joy of seeing a new place, meeting new people and experiencing new things. Towards the end of your trip, you should be anxious to return home, knowing that you will have lots of fun stories to tell your family and friends.
The feeling of doing nothing while traveling frequently caused anxiety for people who are used to their daily work routine; taking pictures while traveling offered people a sense of purpose when they
Imaging living in your own personal dreamworld that is only unique to you. A place where your imperfections can be somebodys perfections in the eyes of the right beholder a world that is created purely from perfection. This world is called Utopia which is idolized by many dreamers because each individual has the ability to create their own perfect fantasy world that is only unique to themselves. Bending and twisting the world to your liking has its perks like having the world's best economy or healthcare system utopia is the most desired place everyone fantasize to live in. Whether its having the opportunity to leave your old boring life for a better one or it appear in a common dream that you think of when you are sleeping at night.
I think that this one could be a good reason for a lot of people who like to travel outside of the country. Another good reason for learning a foreign language is people who have learned a foreign language, when applying for a job are more likely to get the job than the person that didn’t learn a foreign language. Be more employable, knowing a foreign language can make you a useful resource for most businesses, and it helps you stand out from a crowd of job applicants. Build job skills, In the global economy,
“Travelling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta. My passion is learning about life through travelling and exploring new things. It excites me when I visit new places, learn about different cultures, and see other people live a life that is different from mine. I just love to travel because it makes me realize that the world is so beautiful and there is so much to admire and treasure.
First of all you must remember that in becoming an axchange student you will most likely learn a new language. This can be a valuable asset later in life, for example some jobs will pay employies extra for being able to speak multiple languages. Also if you were to ever move out of the country it would aid you to speak the language or to be somewhat familiar withthe country. Finally I would like to explain the opertunities to learn that the program offers. I believe that the exchange program could allow oppertunities for many students to learn not just about culture but also about other people.
Most people dream about sudden trips to exotic lands or planned voyages to previously familiar locations, but what is it that drives us to seek to leave our home? Why is it that we travel, even if we are completely comfortable in the country we live in? Pico Iyer, in his travel essay titled ‘Why We Travel’ states different reasons why he believes we seek the unknown. One of the points he claims that we travel for the “self and anonymity”. As he expands on this idea, it is clear to the reader that Iyer believes one of the reasons we travel is to be able to be “free of caste and job and standing” in order to better comprehend ourselves.
Studying abroad is a growing opportunity that many people around the world of all different ages take. In 2012, over 760 thousand international students studied abroad in the United States alone. The positive reasons for studying abroad are numerous, but there are also negative ones too. Studying abroad brings with itself a lot of preparation and responsibility. Also many people see acculturating oneself and making new friends in a new place can be challenging.
“With 8 million people flying each day, the concept of travel as a rare escape is outdated. Obstacles that prevented people traveling, like high costs, continue to fall away. For those with the means, travel has become a lifestyle. Barriers like language are disappearing with the advent of smart translation apps. Cheap flights are empowering time-short travelers to jet off for weekends.