The Incredible Effects of Travel

     About one year ago, I pulled a letter out of the trash.  Unbenounced to me, this letter would soon begin to change how I saw the world and how I thought of everything in it.
     This letter was one inviting me to travel through People to People.  I had been receiving these letters for years, and every time I inquired about this possibility, the reply was disappointing: we did not have the financial means to support this desire.  This time it was different.  A fire in my heart began to burn, and feeding that fire was all I could think to do.
     I opened this letter in the corner of my dark kitchen in the late hours of the night.  Though the others had been dismissed, I knew within the depths of my soul that this one had to be pursued. It came not from the desire to spend late nights in Paris with new French friends, but from a power I had yet to recognize, leading me to what becomes a miracle.
     As I perused the travel websites and caught sight of a bit of what could be my own experiences, I was filled with something so sweet and wonderful that tears filled my wishful eyes.  The history and culture of these places pulled me to feel and think differently.  There was only one question:
     How could I possibly pay for this?
     Of course my parents had another question on their minds, one that boggled my inexperienced mind until I was actually on another continent without them.  It was less of a question, though, and more of a reinforced cement barricade of the fear of having their baby be separated by an entire ocean.  This was also something I had not anticipated.
     Over the next few months, I worked tirelessly to convince my parents that this was something that was safe, beneficial, and financially possible.  I made presentations, handouts, pamphlets.  I requested more information, I researched the places I would be visiting.
    They weren't convinced.
     They did, however offer an option I hadn't considered.  What if I visited our very good friends who had recently temporarily relocated to England.  This turned into an incredibly wonderful opportunity.  Not only was I able to spend time with amazing people I had sorely missed, I was able to jump into global travel in a more comfortable environment for both my parents and me.
     This trip changed me.
     I looked at my own country differently.  Experiencing another nation firsthand, no matter how wonderful, instills a new, unexplainable sense of patriotism that I believe every American should experience.  Additionally, I was able to discuss American, British, and world politics with a Brit.  How many people are able to experience that?  This was truly memorable and offered a new perspective that I had not yet been able to hear.
     I also looked at the world differently.  Before, I will admit that New Jersey seemed to be the only place that really mattered.  Of course I understood that events in other places affected my beautiful state, but that's really all it was; they affected us.  It had previously seemed that the entire world lived and worked and breathed just to affect New Jersey.  Though I had traveled very far before, experiencing an entirely new nation, independent and different, was what took me out of myself enough to see everything more clearly.  Because that is what travel does: it forces you out of yourself so that everything you know, everything you are used to, is finally clear.
   
     A couple of months before embarking on this incredible trip, though, I received a call.  She asked if she was speaking to my mother, then, after I replied that she wasn't, asked if this was me.  "Yes," I replied, slightly confused at why this professional-sounding lady was calling me.
     "You won the Holly's Holiday Giveaway contest.  Now, if you could just tell me what trip you wanted to go on, we can get you enrolled right away; there isn't much space right now."  That  was a contest I entered in secret.  Worth $7,000, I was sure that if I won, my parents would let me go.  After a few miracles, I was granted the scholarship for use on a 2014 trip and permission from my parents to set out to Europe with a bunch of other students as a Student Ambassador.
 

     Before I became interested in traveling the world, I was not even that interested in the rest of the world.  I hated learning about world history in school.  Why learn about the rest of the world when we could be learning about America?  That all changed, and this year I study my world history textbook for hours just for fun and watch documentaries about 17th century London and Louis XVI-- just because I want to.
     I never thought that a letter I pulled out of the trash could change me so profoundly.

3 Things I Wish I Had on the Plane

1. A pillow

I am not talking about the flimsy one the airline gives you (though I truly appreciated it, and it made a huge difference, so thank you, United).  I am talking about a big, comfy pillow that makes anywhere feel like your bed.  Yes, I realize that this might be a bit impractical, but I am certainly going to  try for my next trip.  

2. A toothbrush and toothpaste

This one is the best.  When I got to my friends' house in England, my first request was not to take a nap or eat something: I wanted to brush my teeth.  No, I needed to brush my teeth.  And I have to say that after I did, I felt so much  better.  My next carry on bag will include these items, and I will be using the plane bathroom for this surprisingly necessary purpose.  

3. Extremely strong sleeping pills.

This is rediculous, I know.  But economy plane seats are small  and don't recline.  I took a Benadryl, but there's only so much a little over-the-counter pill can do.  (I'm not a druggie; I promise.)  Yeah, I guess #3 is probably not happening, but a girl can *dream. 

Actually, 1 is entirely impractical.  But 2 and 3 are golden.  

(*Pun entirely intended.)

In which I leave my sneakers on another continent...

Guess who left her shoes in Europe!  This girl!  Yup.  It is such a great thing that I have incredible friends willing to send them back to the States.
 

I'm official!

     Look what came in the mail a few days ago!

 
     I will admit that I screamed very loudly.  I will also admit that I am so much of a nerd that the information about the assignments for the high school credits left me even more agog.
     I am so excited to be an official student ambassador with People to People!  This is an incredible oppurtunity, and I am so thankful that everything worked out just right so that I can do this.  This is truly miraculous, and I am so grateful to all who helped to make this happen for me.

***

More People to People details to follow in another post!

   

A Bit of a Personal Update

     I am so behind on my blogging!  I will, however, have my last two trips of the summer up here soon.
     Additionally, it is (almost) official: I will be traveling all over Europe for about three weeks next summer with People to People.  I am so excited!  I will be going on the European Heritage trip!  The group is far away from me, but I really wanted to go on this specific trip, so it is totally worth it.  They'll probably be flying through my--like how I used that word?-- airport too, so I won't be flying alone again.  If you want to check out the trip, it is on the People to People website.  I am so grateful for the oppurtunity to go and experience new cultures, learn about new things, try new activities, and take lots of awesome photos!

England

 A few hours before landing in Manchester.  I was so excited!

 A typical Yorkshire village.  So beautiful!

 These actually work, too!  They are all over!

 York-- It's so pretty!

 The York Minster has been here since the 1300's!  It is gorgeous inside and out.

 Many English cities have signs like this.  I think they're really cool!

 We climbed to the top of the minster.  The view was incredible!

 We were walking and all of the sudden we see these ruins!  There was no sign or anything!

 That was supposed to have bacon...  It is ham.  (It is healthier, though.)

 Pretty much every building with a driveway, parking lot or path has a gate like this in either that pretty blue or black.

 The buildings are all so old!  This one was bowing out!  It wasn't uncommon to see beams or other supports to keep an otherwise unstable structure safe.

 Beverley.  So pretty.  Typical English.  Love it.

 I literally sent Costa an email asking them to expand to the US.  Their "coolers"  are unmatched!!

 A white phone booth!  

 Fish 'n' chips!  It was really good!  Not "fishy" at all!  I have yet to see how it compares to the American version.

 I even had the opportunity to go to the Preston, England temple!  (http://mormon.org/faq/topic/temples/question/use-of-temples)

 The temple grounds were immaculate!  The landscaping is neat, orderly, and classy.

 Later that day we went to Scarborough.  It is so cool!  There isn't much of a beach, (it was, after all, about 65F in the middle of July.) but the boardwalk-like part is what you can tell draws people most.

 It was pretty much a "wannabe" Coney Island.

 The ice cream is so different!   The only way I can really describe it is a rich combination of yogurt, ice cream, and whipped cream.

 Seagulls, seagulls everywhere!

 We took a steam train to Whitby!

And may I now present... London!

 Big Ben!  It is so much prettier in person!  The gold shines like you wouldn't believe!

 Gates to Buckingham Palace.

 I love this photo.  An evening in London.

Wyoming: Lyman and Fort Bridger

 I'm really not sure if this is in Wyoming or Utah.  I think it was Utah.  At any rate, we stopped at a Mormon trail historic site, Echo Canyon.  It was a different kind of beautiful.  It was also important to me because it is history I could directly relate to; it's really cool when you can walk the same trail some of your ancestors probably did as Mormon pioneers.  

 The plant life in the mountains is very different from what I'm used to.

 Look at that beautiful red rock!  Though some of the mountains are only gray, some are this beautiful sedimentary red.

 This plant was so fragrant!  I couldn't quite place it, though.  It was spicy, but also a bit sweet... I think my dad ate some....

 A little after arriving at our friends' house in Lyman, we  decided to go shooting, a rare opportunity for those of us on the east coast.  

The crazy thing was that all we had to do was drive to where nobody was, set up some targets, and start shooting.  What?!  It was freedom I had never experienced.  

The place we chose was gorgeous.  I chose to forgo most of my shooting time to take different kinds of shots: photos!

 I climbed to the top of some ridges to get the best shots.  It's not easy with a camera bag, but I'm glad I did it.  

And do you notice something else about this photo?  The winter jacket, perhaps?  It was so cold!  Mind you that this is August.  I did not pack one, but I am so thankful for our wonderful friends to lend me this wonderful thing.  

There were cacti all over!  I think this was actually my first time seeing a wild cactus; my previous experience had cacti in pots.  (In my last few trips out west, I didn't notice such things.  Just family we visited, tourist attractions, and BYU.)

 My mom took this with her phone.  How awesome is this.  And the sunset I could see from there was just gorgeous. 

 Next was Fort Bridger!  

On our way in, we stopped at the restored Lincoln Highway Cabins.  This was so interesting--a fantastic piece of early 20th century history.  

 I was so happy to find this beautiful meadow area.  I love seeing new things, but there is something about green and trees that I can't seem to live without.  

 It was so pretty!

 This was Bridger's trading post site.  They had been excavating the site and studying it.

 They actually had a covered wagon!  So cool!

This is Bridger's fort.  It was really amazing to see, especially with the inside restored. You could even see the inside and imagine Bridger in there.