When is the last time you have been outside of the country? When is the last time you submerged yourself in the culture of different people and appreciated it? As I sit on this airplane on my way to Greece, I think of how Americans do not travel outside of the U.S as much as we should. Traveling outside of the country not only helps us to address the privileges we have, but also to seek new perspectives. I am guilty of this. Right now is only the second time I have been out of the country and the first was a spring break trip to Cancun.
My motivation for taking this trip was because I know that I will forever fear what I do not understand. And that is why we need to travel. The stereotypes that we hear about other countries on television, movies, songs etc. are harmful and negatively affect a person’s perspective on what the world holds. If we solely trusted what we heard about other countries from what we hear on TV screens, everyone would believe that Africa is a country and all it was made up of was grassy plains, uncivilized people and starving children. We have the right to form our own perspectives about other places and you can make an accurate one by visiting.
When is the last time you have been outside of the country? When is the last time you submerged yourself in the culture of different people and appreciated it? As I sit on this airplane on my way to Greece, I think of how Americans do not travel outside of the U.S as much as we should. Traveling outside of the country not only helps us to address the privileges we have, but also to seek new perspectives. I am guilty of this. Right now is only the second time I have been out of the country and the first was a spring break trip to Cancun.
My motivation for taking this trip was because I know that I will forever fear what I do not understand. And that is why we need to travel. The stereotypes that we hear about other countries on television, movies, songs etc. are harmful and negatively affect a person’s perspective on what the world holds. If we solely trusted what we heard about other countries from what we hear on TV screens, everyone would believe that Africa is a country and all it was made up of was grassy plains, uncivilized people and starving children. We have the right to form our own perspectives about other places and you can make an accurate one by visiting.
Another benefit to traveling is seeing that in many ways, we as a human race are all similar. When you think about someone living across the country, it is hard to believe that they can live similarly than you do. As I have been in Greece for a short time, I can see many similarities to my home city, Washington D.C. It seems that they have the same rule about escalators that LA does not, stand on the right, walk on the left. People have places to be and are busy. The adults are trying to build relationships, careers and families. The young adults are having fun, enjoying the nightlife and trying to figure their own lives out. The children are living life carefree under the supervision of their caretakers. While this place may not be perfect, it is real; with real people who have real lives. I feel connected to this country right now and would not have if I had not visited.
We think of community as the place we grow up, the people we live around and the future groups that we identify with. We often forget that we have a world community. It is easier to feel isolated and isolate people when you are not near them. Out of sight, out of mind right? This is what allows people to turn a blind eye when natural disasters, war, famines and other devastations that happen in other countries. We don’t help one another because we don’t feel connected and if it is not happening to us, it is not our problem. Let us literally go outside of our comfort zones and locations to see the world for what it is and how we are all truly connected. Let us build relationships to help one another.
