Next Stop… London.

After a summer full of traveling and exploring, my friends and family must all think I’m crazy to once again be embarking on yet another foreign journey. Just weeks ago I returned from a whirlwind 6 week long backpacking trip across Europe, in which I visited 12 countries and never stayed in the same place for more than two nights.

People start to wonder how you can enjoy living in a constant flux, and I only have one answer. I am a wanderer.

It has been said that “not all who wander are lost” and I can’t help but wonder if wandering should actually be defined as self discovery. I would never classify wandering as being lost, for being lost implies a negative connotation, one that is definitely not present in exploring the vast possibilities of oneself, the world around them and the knowledge we cannot simply collect from books alone.

As we wander we learn, we grow, we love, we thrive. Yes, we may struggle. But isn’t life all about overcoming trials to experience the triumphs that leave us with such a satisfaction that our lungs burn to taste fresher air, our legs tremble for the unexplored ledges, mountains and untraveled roads?

I suppose many may not know what it feels like to truly wander. To get lost in yourself, with no predetermined direction and just allow your hair to blow freely in the wind, with an open mind and open heart for whatever path you stumble onto.

I was bitten by the travel bug when I was very young, but it was more than just a bug; for me, it was a lifestyle choice. My thirst to discover the phenomenons of other cultures, to interact directly with diversity, to challenge social constructions and to learn more than my head and heart can possibly make sense of, yet to try to understand the complexity of the lives we live, are what drove me.

My experiences, and discoveries are what left me classifying myself as a wanderer. We’ve all heard the phrase, “home is where the heart is” millions of times; however, what if there are pieces of my heart scattered all over the globe?

There is no doubt in my mind that London will be given the next piece of my heart, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from two previous study abroad experiences, along with my backpack trip, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The memories, adventures and self discovery we’re all bound to make abroad will steal pieces of our hearts, and while we may leave these beautiful new worlds at the end of four months, such a loss will actually turn into growth. Chances are, when you lose one thing, you almost always gain another. I may leave a piece of my heart in London in the end, but what I take back with me will be what I believe are truly some of the most amazing, rewarding, and life changing memories and knowledge.

Cheers to the adventures we’re all about to embark on!