Thirty Nations by my Thirtieth Birthday
Discovering culture, and countries, and the character it reveals.
For years I have explained to people that my love for travel and fascination for cultures is rooted in an obscure longing to find puzzle pieces scattered across the globe that belong in my soul. Reflection is not always my strong suit, because I tend to move quite quickly through life. However, upon realizing I am a handful of countries away from tacking thirty pushpins into different nations on my bulletin board world map, I have made it a challenge to visit them prior to my thirtieth birthday! Whilst preparing to tackle the adventure ahead, I will be describing through various posts on how traveling has changed me and helped me see the world more fully. Whether abroad or at home, innocence and ignorance have each been my companions in various situations. My first international exposure as an adult was in 2009: I was a twenty-one-year-old little girl, coming out of a socially-awkward childhood, clueless to cultural differences and customs.
Every adventure was intoxicating, though I believe they may better be referred to as conquests - pushpins, if you will. Desperate to quench an insatiable hunger and thirst for meaning, purpose, and understanding, I leapt from one life experience to another. Volumes of journals have been filled, an occasional page or two left blank, unresolved, while I waited on the completion of a thought, the comprehension of events at hand. I never felt prepared to reflect or ponder the past and have always grasped at the new, so I left behind gaps for which I could not yet find satisfactory expression.
The hope for this blog series is that in some way I will be able to contribute to the community of explorers; whether describing locations or customs or the invaluable lessons that come with exposing yourself to them. In reading and listening to other travelers’ experiences, I have been inspired, it's why I am so excited to join the community network here on Track That Travel! Hearing about so many perspectives on travel, culture, and life has given me insight to what I can learn from my journey because, in some way or other, I can relate to the one being told to me. Thank you in advance for letting me speak honestly on where I’ve been, locationally speaking as well as mentally. I so look forward to talking about how my addiction to travel has propelled me to delve into the greater world, and how myself and others view it so differently.
Beginning 31 August 2017, there were thirty Thursdays remaining before the milestone in question... so each week until March 25, 2018, I am sharing a story from the journey. The first three have been posted:
1. USA - Maps and Markers
2. Canada - The Awe of a Child
3. Thailand - Put Me in My Place
Track That Travel, adventure blogs, and Instagram are all mediums that intend to use to connect with more like-minded people and travelers. Each of us have invaluable insight to the world and persons with whom we share it, and I am grateful for the chance to read about your takes on this journey called life.
Let maps, photo albums, and pages of journals unfold!!
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