Blog 2 - Why We Travel.

1. I feel that my resons align with Pico Iyer's because him and I both travel to lose learn more about others but also to learn more about ourselves. We travel because of the experiences to be gained, learning about the culture of a place we have never been to and seeing sights we had never imagined we would get the opportunity to see in real life. Whenever I travel, I feel like I have escaped from reality into a whole new world; this is also when I feel most like myself. As Iyer says, "I can remake myself for better." I don't know what it is, but I just feel so much happier and even at home when, in actuality, I may be thousands of miles away.

2. "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new places, but in seeing with new eyes."

Iyer means that you can't get the most out of your trip by simply going to a place, you have to go with an open mind that is ready to learn. You have to walk a mile in someone else's shoes and educate yourself with the way that the people there live life on a daily basis. Only then can you truly appreciate the sights that you see and the rituals that you observe while traveling. This relates to me because I really would like to come out of this trip, as well as all future travels, with a new view on the country I have just visited by learning about life there from the natives themselves.

3. "What gives value to travel is fear."
By this quote, Iyer is saying that the best trips are those in which not everything is planned perfectly. You don't know what is going to happen every minute of every day, and you don't always know what is going to happen at the places which you do visit. You have to take chances and try something new. I think that in order to even travel to another country in the first place, you have to step outside of your comfort zone and test your limits. Take risks, because you never know if you'll get the opportunity again. Even if it may scare you at first to do so, this good sense of fear is truly a sign that you are getting the most out of your trip.

4. Yes, I do think that travelers should share their experiences with others in order to educate them about other cultures. If the only way that people hear about different countries is through the media, personal experiences are lost in translation. People gain so much more from hearing stories from a primary source rather than on the news or in the paper. The best way to teach others about what is going on in the world is definitely by travelers sharing their first-hand experiences with them.

5. "And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again -- to slow time and get taken in, and fall in love once more." This is my favorite quote because it sums up why I travel. I feel most myself when I am traveling, because I don't have a care in the world. I am young and foolish and enjoying everything life has to offer. I get so wrapped up in the place that I am visiting that I feel as if I have escaped from the real world, from all troubles, and can just relax, take risks, and be myself. I am happy and loud and just thankful to be alive and to have had all of the opportunities that I have been given.

Blog 1 - Getting Started.

          My name is Kaitlyn and I am a sophomore at GNHS. I simply love life and for the most part try to keep a positive attitude in all that I do. I love to dance and am a member of the varsity poms squad. We always say that "poms is life" because it really does take over our time, but in the end the many hours pay off. When I do get time off, I spend it with my friends and family, both of which mean the world to me. This summer I had my first experience traveling outside of the country and I absolutely loved every minute of it. I spent three weeks in Italy with my grandfather and cousin and the sights we saw, the things we did, and the people we met were absolutely incredible. It was a bonding experience that I will never forget, as I hope the Australia/New Zealand trip will be as well.

I don't see how anyone could NOT want to go here.

          I signed up for this course because of my new-found love for traveling. In the past year I have learned that it's not the places you go, but the adventures you have along the way, and I cannot wait to share these adventures with some of my closest friends in countries I never once imagined that I would get the opportunity to visit. Through these experiences I hope to become educated in new cultures, try new foods, and attempt things that I never thought I could, because this truly is the trip of a lifetime.
          Traveling abroad will teach me about the culture and the people of both Australia and New Zealand, and I will gain a new respect for the way that they live as well as for my own culture. Seeing not only the similarities but also the differences between the two will help me to grow as a person and to learn not to judge people until I've seen life from their own eyes. I hope to come out of this course with a new world view, since every step is a learning experience.
          Visiting places such as Australia or New Zealand is something I never believed I'd get the chance to do. Now that this has become a reality, I cannot wait to view the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House, and am especially excited for the tribal dinner in New Zealand. I really don't know much about the culture of either country so I am also interested in just going there and learning as much as I can about the people there and their way of life.
          I think that it is important to learn about any place you are going before traveling there because you get the best out of your trip when you have some insight to the culture, the food, the accents, and even the climate. You have to be educated about the country you are visiting so that you are not blindsighted when you get there and oblivious to how things work in the world around you. By avoiding culture shock, you are able to get passed the little things and really see the country on a larger scale, getting the most of your experience and really appreciating the places that you visit. When you know the significance behind certain places, foods, and rituals, rather than being clueless about what is going on, it is easier to connect to the culture as well as the country that you are in.


Zoe got us matching koala t-shirts for Christmas. We're embarrassing.