We all have our own versions of childhood. For me, much of it was spent in Asia. I was born in the United States, but let me tell you something; it is not my home. When my mother was eight months pregnant with me, she flew back to the States from visiting her family in Malaysia. A month later, I was given life; the one one thing I am most thankful for. I soon acquired a passport as an infant, I flew back and forth between Asia and the United States until I was six years old. In the spring of 2001, myself along with my parents and brother, embarked on a move that I would later realize, changed my life. We arrived in Bangkok, Thailand, after 24 hours of flights. This is where I believe my life truly began. These are the things I have learned since my seven-year adventure.
The world is a beautiful place that many never bother to explore. There really is little available in terms of excuses as to why people don’t travel. Yes, it can be expensive; but it isn’t about money, it is about priority. The man who drives a brand new car may have never set foot outside of his own town, let alone state, let alone country. It breaks my heart to know that that my fellow classmates here in the States don’t know the difference between China and Asia (that is not a joke). When you spend so much time growing up in different cultures, it can be so easy to fall homesick. To feel homesick for a country on the other side of the world… that is true heartbreak. Knowing that I left behind a young girl who was so in love with the people around her.
When you’re an expatriate in Thailand, you’re treated differently; but not how many people would expect. You are welcomed with open arms. The locals want nothing more than to share their culture with you. You are not judged for the color of your skin, you are prized. There is nothing more comforting than to attend an international school full of children who are living the same adventure as you are. There is nothing more heartbreaking than to leave them all behind when the time comes to move back to your native country. It fills me with joy to know that I have friends on every continent, in so many countries. Travel, for me, will never be lonely. What breaks my heart is knowing that my oldest friends are so much more than just a short drive away.
Now my dearest friends are well into college, some almost ready to graduate and embark into the world that we call home. This is what is most important to me. The world; the world is my home. I fall homesick for every bit of this earth I have travelled and every bit I have not. So, my fellow 20-somethings; I urge you… Travel. See as much as you can before you have to settle into a job that may not allow you to do such things. Please, I beg you, don’t settle for the country you were born in. Look at a map, read about all the places you can go and all the people you can meet. Learn the world to learn yourself. Let the world breath life into you and never be afraid of it’s heartbreak.
