Blue-Sky Thinking: Can Travel Sharpen Your Mind?
It was summer camp, many summers ago, that made you realized that travel would broaden the mind. Don't say it often, your coursemate warned you. It could make anyone appear worldly and interesting, he added, and that won't be necessary (nowadays). You weren't offended. (It had been rough, so you tried to be kind to other students. And you tried to be attentive to your professor.) On Fridays, you ate pizza. This latest bit of normalcy was upended by the pandemic, which made your coursemate scratched his head. (He haven't visited "The Real Italian Pizza", a great little place you discovered during your visit to Bath). Deliziosa, which the locals would say. It didn't broaden your mind, but your stomach didn't grumble afterwards. (Your coursemate snorted after hearing your story.) You did wondered if travel would help you become a better student.
Your father traveled to Indochina during his younger days. "The Killing Fields" made him plan that trip, as watching someone's story is not the same as seeing for himself. And what he saw was more than what he asked for. He wasn't referring to his tuk-tuk driver, who didn't give him his (5 US dollar) change (to his 50 US dollar bill), but it was rather his visit to Phnom Kulen Park. It was located in the outskirts of Siem Reap, home of the Angkor Wat, which could be reached in an hour or so. The park was perched on the top of a gigantic rock, which might be remains of an extinct volcano. And then there was a temple. (Your father didn't expect it.). The stairway was lined up with women begging for alms. And one of them shocked your old man. The right side of her face was burned. There was a money-exchanging counter not far from the bottom of the stairway, where locals and tourists could exchange bigger notes into smaller ones (and then give it to the women). You asked your father why he didn't give them. What he described was a case of culture shock, which could be a premise of a poignant short story. But you were thinking of something else.
Your father's eye-opening experience made you curious of the outside world. You asked your pen friend, who lived in Brighton, about foreign students preparing for a British Christmas. (He doesn't have a clue.) You inquired your high school teacher about the best place to study for a degree in Europe. (She didn't respond, which might mean that you were living under a rock.) And you posted a question on Facebook. (Paris rated best student city in the world?) The pandemic would make it challenging, if not impossible, to opt for a gap year (and answer your queries). It may be unfair, but there are other ways.
The Benefits of Traveling Are Well Documented
Those who have been abroad are more creative. Your coursemate pointed out that you've read too many novels. Most of the settings would be places that you may never set foot on it, but their insights were distorted views of the places they have been. He would compare it to a young couple on a holiday, where the suitcase must be hers and the backpack his. (Two styles of traveling, two versions of the world.) It should make you engage in your surrounding. (And the gray weather won't dampen your enthusiasm.) You might not have enough of armchair traveling, but you're curious about the big city nearest you. Windy City?
Moving abroad allows students to gain a sense of responsibility and independence. Your father learned to budget his money during his holiday in Indochina. But he almost ran out of cash in Phnom Penh. (The airport's Custom Officer was kind to give him $20 for the airport tax. Go figure?) He surmised that he would appreciate his parents' sacrifices to pay for the water bill (if he studied abroad). It made you stopped complaining about the blandness of your food on some days. You aren't referring to your mother's cooking, though. This prompted you to make a New Year resolution, and one would be how to make a pizza from scratch. You can't wait to surprise your coursemates.
Sharpening your mind is a no - brainer. Your not-so-recent holiday in England didn't teach you to navigate the railway. (The instructions are written in English. Thank you very much.) You didn't have to order fish and chips in a foreign dialect. ((You wondered if the French fancy fish and chips as well.) If you're a History major, post-Brexit Europe won't disappoint you. But you're looking at the northern side. You're not obsessed about the northern lights, but rather a modern update on the Northwest Passage. Climate change would change the storyline, but you're undecided on telling it to your tutor.
But Morning Always Comes
Traveling should make you more open to meeting new people. You don't have to be guarded, not even show fear of rejection. This extroversion is what your university expects from you. It might take months for some students (and you're one of them), but it doesn't make you left out. You've traveled around, but you took it for granted. And your parents advised you to wait for another year. (Your Dad said AFFORDABLE and your Mom said ADVENTURE.) But you weren't excited. You read "Deliverance", about young men who grew up in the concrete jungle and wanted to experience freedom in the untamed wilderness (in the South). It could make you worldly and interesting, but you won't mind what others would think. You're undecided on telling it to your buddies, though.
