Grow. It’s a big world. There’s room. You fit. I promise – Owen Lindley
Traveling and what it means to me
I started traveling from a young age (with my mom and my sister mostly) but never realised the impact of it when I was younger. As a family, we went mainly to the East Coast USA (Maryland, NYC, Florida), London (once) & quite a number of English speaking Caribbean countries. I was also very involved as a kid and traveled for netball, choir, Girls Guides, school etc. But, I had no clue the affect it would have on me now.
Photo of my sister, mother and I on vacation.
When I was younger, my mother would take my sister and I on vacations overseas in the summer at least every other year. The weather always seemed the same in the different places – warm (which is what I was used to, so there was no big adjustment). But, during these travels I got to experience 4 lane highways and it being 9pm with the sun high in the sky (and remember it) from since I was about 5 years old.
These types of things DO happen and ARE normal for some people in the world. In the Caribbean, specifically the island where I’m from, not so much. If the sun is in the sky past 7pm, you wonder wah happen. Our ‘highways’ are one lane roads going each way. That’s just how it is (larger Caribbean islands have big highways such as Jamaica & Trinidad while the smaller ones are like mine).
These small but simple experiences helped teach me that things can be verryyy different in some places. And these verrryyy different things are super normal to others. Of course I’m still learning this though (it gets me every time!).
But, it was traveling to Canada for University and living in Toronto that really did the trick for me. Living in another environment does wonders. It’s fascinating (to me). It took me out of the ‘bubble’ of my daily life, and placed my life in a new space. It’s amazing to sit and think of how things function and people adapt in a ‘new space’.
I was in University, (quite a diverse one at that), in a cold country. So, I was out of my element (as it’s always 28C/82F in Antigua while -15C/5F in winter in Toronto) but I met others who felt the same – International students. They were away from home, their norm, but making it work in this new place for school. Through mutual friends, club involvement or just random meet ups, these interactions taught me more about different people’s homes, families and every day lives and the fact that they were way different to mine. Indian, Ethiopian, Romanian, UAE, Canadian lives are all different. And they were missing their homes the same as I was missing my Caribbean/Antiguan and Barbudan one.
Anitguans & Barbudans, Bahamian & Romanians ‘hosting’ Frosh week for York University’s orientation in Toronto, Canada
Desert (Dubai) & Beach (The Caribbean) on ice (Toronto, Canada)
First (and only) time ever skiing (Toronto, Canada)
It helped put things into perspective and added value on other people’s countries and cultures for me. Living in Toronto exposed me to a warf of things. I was forced to learn. Adapt. To adjust and live in this new melting pot of a society. I wasn’t at home, but I thrived. I learned so much. I was forced to learn so much. Not just from school. But also the act of living in this new space.
“I love learning. And learning about other people and their way of life just expanded my want to go and experience it for myself.”
These experiences – meeting a diverse set of people, living in a country that made mine look like a spec of dust on a map in comparison, going to the school I did, having the friends I did, all made me appreciate what I have come to live as my life, and ignited the fire of me wanting to experience more.
These are some of the reasons why traveling is so significant to me. There are many other reasons that will be sprinkled all throughout this blog – which you’ll have to read to find out more….
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