While walking along the crystal clear waters of Mauritius, I stumbled upon this beautiful little creature: a starfish.
I was ecstatic! This little one was washed onto shore by a gentle, warm wave. I just had to pick it up. I couldn't stop smiling. My happy screams were met with odd stares and confusion. I tried again, "Look! How neat! A little starfish!" Nope...still nothing but blank looks. I WAS HOLDING A STARFISH IN MY HAND IN AN ISLAND COUNTRY ALMOST NO ONE GETS TO SEE AND MY LIFE WAS AWESOME. Why couldn't anyone else understand this? As everyone continued to walk along (mind you, I was definitely falling behind at this point, since I was staring at the starfish in my hand and enjoying the water on my toes), I was reminded of a parable I once heard: One day, during low tide, hundreds of starfish were stranded on the beach. An old man was walking along, trying carefully not to step on any of the starfish. They seemed to still be alive, but would die soon if they were not placed back into the water. However, because there were so many of them, the old man decided not to do anything and just continue on his walk. Soon after, the old man stumbled across a young child throwing starfish back into the ocean. The old man asked what he was doing. The child said, "I am saving the starfish!" The old man replied, "Why are you even bothering? There are so many of them! You can't save them all! Why does it even matter?" Without any hesitation, the child picked up another starfish. "It matters to this one," he said, as he threw it back into the ocean. I looked back down at my own starfish with a smile before throwing it back into the turquoise Mauritian water. It still amazes me how the world will find ways to give you the reminders you need at the times you need it most. This tiny starfish, which seemed so insignificant to my friends, reminded me that if I continue to look at the world with awe and wonder, I will be rewarded with true happiness and meaningful experiences (even if no one else around me feels this way.) My starfish also taught me to continue working hard to help others--even if the problem seems unbearably large and impossible to change, my effort could truly matter to one person, and that could make all the difference.
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Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Pavilion, is a famous Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. At first look, it will take your breath away. The surrounding gardens are meticulously landscaped to inspire calmness and introspection. The above photograph was taken when the leaves were beginning to change to brilliant reds, oranges and golds; a color that match the real gold leafing that covered the top two floors of the temple.
As I snapped a photograph and attempted to enjoy the Golden Pavilion's splendor while tourists pushed pass me, I heard our tour guide tell us: "After the building burned down in the 1950's, it was rebuilt and the gold leaf you see was added. The gold leaf itself cost five million dollars." I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at our guide in disbelief. Everyone else in my group continued on with the tour, satisfied to check off one more landmark on their bucket list, already beginning to talk about what to eat for lunch. I couldn't move from my spot. I stared at that beautiful building. The gold leaf that shone resplendently from the afternoon sun could feed thousands of the hungry people I have met in other parts of the world. It could ensure the education of countless underprivileged children. Five million dollars could build homes for families affected by natural disasters or fight the AIDS epidemic. This was the moment I realized I was no longer a tourist. I was now a traveler. I had entered this site for a history lesson and to see beautiful buildings. I left having a deeper understanding about what really makes life and travel so important: helping the people you meet along the way, so that everyone can have the best life possible. Now, when I think back to all of the wonderful places I have had the opportunity to see, it's not the landmarks I remember. It is the smile of a Ghanaian woman on the street, a hug from an orphan, the laughs of my travel companions, the kisses from my now-fiance, the blessing of a Hindu priest...this is what makes travel so special. "Shouldn't you be focused on getting a good job and establishing yourself somewhere? Preferably close to home?" "Awww, come on. You should come get drunk with us tonight! Who cares about work tomorrow? It'll be fun!" "I know you're adventurous, Farrah, but after this next trip, you really need to find your long-term, lifelong career." "I can't believe you're engaged already! You're only 22! Are you sure he's the one you want to be with forever?" Life in my early 20's is confusing. Suddenly, I'm out of college and expected to: 1. Get a perfect job right away that I will never, ever change for the rest of my existence. 2. Meet the perfect partner and get married before they "run away and find someone new." 3. Buy a house. 4. Have 2.5 children. OR, I'm supposed to be "living my life" and doing crazy things, such as: 1. Drinking every weekend with friends and hooking up with random people. 2. Always looking perfect and paying whatever price is necessary to make that happen. 3. Take time off whenever I want for whatever random thing I want to do with my friends. 4. Experience the world. Explore new cultures. Live in new cities and destinations. Our societal pressures drive me crazy. They are both at extreme ends of the spectrum, and we're either supposed to pick one or simultaneously have both. But, why, exactly, do I have to do any of this stuff? This is an exercise I've done recently to help with the pressure of "settling" vs. "YOLO": 1. I do what makes me happy. There you go. You have it. That is the key to my success. When everyone asks, "How are you always smiling and optimistic all the time?!" That, right there, is my answer: I do what makes me happy. I am happily engaged at the young age of 22. I was lucky enough to meet my soul mate the first week of my college freshmen year. Why would I pass this wonderful relationship up when I know, for a fact, that Jimmy is the man that will make me forever happy? (P.S. I have nothing against if you enjoy the dating scene. Go for it, girl! No judgement here!) I graduated with a degree in theatre, but have decided that theatre is not the only career path I want in life. Newsflash: It's okay to not to want to do the same thing for your entire life. It's also okay if you do. Some of us have one, very specific passion. For example, my best friend, Regina, is already an unbelievably successful lighting designer after her recent graduation in May. If she wasn't on a ladder changing gel colors every weekend to her liking, she might explode. Me, on the other hand, would absolutely explode if I had to do the same thing all the time. I want to be a director, work in a nonprofit for women, be a Residence Hall director, a counselor, a travel blogger, and perform. Right now, I'm helping my future in-laws at their dental practice, acting at a Renaissance Festival, and babysitting my friends' three-month-old daughter. Babysitting doesn't sound glamorous, but my goodness, does Lillybug's smile ever make me happy! I have filled my life full of friends and family who care about me. Once a week is game night (Dungeons and Dragons nerd alert!), eating dinner together as a family is important, and Skype dates with long distance friends are a must. We will always help a friend with a problem. (Yes, not only is that the "right thing to do," but more often than not, those unexpected moments can be filled with joy and laughter and memories.) These people make my life enjoyable. Finally, I travel. I travel because it's what inspires me. It keeps me hopeful and excited for my future. It helps me find new passions and rekindle old ones. Travel teaches me about myself and others. It reminds me that the world is inherently good, even when media tries to tell us otherwise. It keeps me curious and wanting to learn. I travel because it makes my life feel complete. With travel, I wander. Without travel, I would be completely lost. To me, complete happiness is being with the man I love, my dearest friends, a backpack, and a new place. So, do what you want. Because if you really, really want something deep down, you will work hard to achieve it. If you want that new house, work a few hours of overtime. You want to learn to play guitar? Dedicate time to it everyday. Want to travel? Save the money and just go. With one life to live, why settle for anything less? It's honestly as simple as that. I know, I know. Everyone and their grandmother's cat does it. So, why am I even bothering creating YET ANOTHER travel blog? Why am I putting my stories, pictures, and tips online? Well, honestly, it started in 2011 when I traveled abroad with Semester at Sea, and had no other way of staying connected with my family and friends at home. They wanted pictures and stories, and I didn't want to risk letters being lost in the mail or pay my hard-earned travel cash on phone bills. However, soon after I was home, I got a lot of questions about traveling abroad. So far, I've helped a lot of students study abroad, as well as creating a study abroad website for my Alma mater, Seton Hill University. I started helping with friends' travel plans, suggestions, itineraries, and tips. Now, all of this information can be in one place with updates, pictures, videos, and more! I also want to create a place for a type of traveler that is sometimes overlooked: female budget backpackers going to "unsung" places on earth. More often than not, I find guides to Western European destinations (not that I wouldn't love to go to Europe!) more than anywhere else, making it a bit more difficult to plan adventures to places like Central America or Africa. Hopefully this blog will fill that gap.
If there is anything you especially want to know about, please contact me! I'm always here to help. All the love. ♥ |
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