Wanderlust

Up until my sophomore year in high school, I was content where I was.  My traveling had been limited: Orlando, Florida when I was 4, Moorhead City, NC when I was 12, Kirtland, OH and Williamsburg, VA at 13, and Nauvoo, IL at 14.  Nice places to visit, but none of them moved me.  None of them ignited a desire in me.  Then came the choir trip to New York City when I was 16.
This was my first time in a big city (I don't really count Orlando since I was only 4). I remember seeing that famous skyline in person for the first time.  I couldn't stop glancing or blatantly staring at it, which I had plenty of opportunity to do since we sat in traffic for an hour before we reached the tunnel that would actually take us into the city.

First Skyline Picture

I remember stepping off the bus, and I'm sure we all looked ridiculous.  We were all staring up at these buildings that were impossibly tall.  Also take into consideration that our first stop that night was in the middle of Time Square!  Suddenly we were in a place that we've seen every New Year's Eve and in movies and TV, but never actually thought we would see in person.  Even more amazing than looking up at skyscrapers though, is looking down on them.  Is there a better introduction to the city that doesn't sleep than being up on the Empire State Building at night?  I think not.

Photo from the next year's trip since I had a better camera.

But my point was not to rehash the events of days gone by, or to talk solely of NYC.  (Even though if I had the opportunity to live anywhere in this country and money wasn't an issue, it would be New York City.)  No, my point is that this trip opened up my eyes to places, people, and things so unlike anything I knew.  I didn't know it then, but this trip would ignite a desire in me to see just what this world has to offer.
I didn't really see the point in traveling before this trip.  Other places looked cool, but I felt like I had everything I needed in my not-too-big-not-too-small hometown.  When you live in the same place, with the same people your whole life, you begin to think that thing's that are popular there are also popular everywhere else.  (I blame this phenomenon on mass media... and my own ignorance.)  Just a small example of this is back home in West Virginia people love Taco Bell (myself included), but here in Utah they kind of hate it.  There are franchises that have different names.  (Hardee's = Carl Jr's; Kroger's = Smith's).  Words are pronounced differently and have different meanings.  I think these differences between places even in the same country are just fascinating and cool.

I have a long list of places that I would love to visit in the US and all over the world.  I want to see the tourist traps.  I want pictures of the guards at Buckingham Palace.  I want to see Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower.  I want to buy a "I ♥ NYC" shirt, because even though I've been to the city twice, I don't own one.  I want to see what makes a place tick.  I want to find places the locals love.  I want to find the places tourists look past, but are as cool as the landmarks.  I want to learn the history that coats cities.  I want to see palaces, and churches, and monuments to people I have never heard of. I want to get out of my bubble.  I want to explore.  I want to be inspired.
I found a quote by Henry Miller that perfectly sums up how I feel about traveling.  He said "One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."  I want to experience things I would never get to in my day-to-day life.  The little traveling I have done has made me see things differently.  As my title would suggest, I lust after the next time I get to travel.  That may be awhile from now, but honestly, it can't come soon enough.
Adeus por agora!
(Goodbye for now!)