I do not really know if my views on why I travel changed. Before this I never really have traveled by myself, I have traveled once before in 7th grade but it was to Virgina. Also before this I did not know why I travel, I knew why people travel frin reading that essay in the class. So this trip was a good chance for me to understand why I travel.I learned that I travel to have fun. I know this is not what Pico Iyer said why people travel, but that is something 
else I learned doing this trip, is that Iyer was wrong, at least in my mind. He said that people travel to escape and learn, and what he wrote about tourist seemed very nagative, saying "a tourist is just someone who complains". This made me mad, not everyone is or can be a world travelor. I personally think everyone is a tourist becuase travelors go and see the same things that tourist do.
Getting back to why I travel, I travel to have fun and experience. Every trip I have ever been on I always have many funny stories to tell. I have many different experiences to share as well. These experiences range from seeing popular sights to going to not so traveled on hikes to going to popular local resturuants.
Going into this trip I wanted to have fun. I wanted to have fun in everything we did, I knew we had to be serious at certain places, but still I wanted to have a smile and try to experience it in a light and happy way. I never wanted to be mad and have a dark mood on the trip, becuase I knew it would ruin that place, meal, or moment in time for me. Which I knew would happen because that is the type of person I am, but when I did get mad it didn't ruin things for me it made it more fun because I get snippy when I am mad, whic
h makes people laugh.
Overall, I think that I found out why I travel and I think it is a good way to travel. I enjoyed this trip, I had fun, and I think I experienced everything I could except for the food. I hope that future I take will be on or above the level of this trip!
Megan Rioux
ReplyDeleteFinal Blog Comments
It was so great getting to know you over the course of this trip. You were funny and sweet and clearly cared about the other people in our group. Thanks for being a part of Team Swag!
Your first impressions of China reminded me of my own reactions. You said “it is much more than I expected in cleanliness and how the people act”—I agree! Maybe China has a bad reputation among Americans, but I was pleasantly surprised by how normal it all felt that first night. Besides the airplane ride being both long and boring, I am glad to hear your trip got off to a not-too-scary start.
Day 2 was definitely a long day and you were a trooper even if you were feeling exhausted. I too thought the hacky sack was a great addition to our trip and was a piece of Chinese culture that we could all connect to and bond over. It was a great way to make sure David was a part of the group. You included wonderful photos in your blog posts, especially with the Great Wall. I think you summarized Beijing really well when you said you saw a mix of historical and modern, which you mentioned with two perfect examples: the Forbidden City and the Olympic Village.
Your first day in Xi’an sounded like one of the more exciting days. I am glad you were able to overcome the early wake up and late night—I think you managed better than some of us teachers! You made some interesting comparisons between Beijing and Xi’an, though I would like you to go into a little more detail. You said the food is the same, the history is the same, the culture is the same. Is it really? These cities offered unique ways to experience Chinese culture. I am glad to hear you enjoyed the terracotta warriors—it is hard to imagine what they will look like until you are there and you should be proud of yourself for journeying halfway around the world and seeing them! The Wild Goose Pagoda also sounded like quite the adventure—sketchy taxi rides that will be memorable forever!
Shanghai is definitely unlike the first two cities we saw and you picked up on some of those differences. It is always interesting to see how other people live, and what a treat for us that we were able to go into a home in Shanghai. Maybe it will help you to appreciate all the space and luxury that we enjoy (and often take for granted) at home. This can be one of the more powerful aspects of traveling. Your comparisons of the new v. old parts of Shanghai were interesting. Can you think of a similar contrast in other cities we visited?
I learned a lot from your Top Ten lists but be careful with our geography (Hong Kong is not on the Atlantic Ocean—it is on the South China Sea which connects to the Pacific Ocean). I think you showed you have a great attitude toward travel. Even when the food is not exactly what you had hoped for or the sites are not exactly what you expected, it is important not to complain and to keep a good attitude. I thought you had a wonderful attitude throughout the entire trip and I am glad I got to know you a little better through this experience. Thanks for sharing your travels with me—please me sure to share with the people who care to know about your experience. This is a great way for people to connect to your experience.
Ms. Greenswag (keep in touch!!)