The Truest Traveler

Just as I have felt silly toggling between "Hello, my name is April and I am a teacher" and "Hello, my name is April and I want to become a teacher one day", I am also at a loss when it comes to expressing my dream to "one day, see the world".

I am starting to realize, though, that I am not giving myself enough credit. I've prepared my whole life to be able to teach one day and today; I've prepared by teaching even in the smallest ways. I am a teacher and have been a teacher just as I one day will become an even better teacher.



Same with travelling: done it, doing it, and will continue to do so.

Currently:

The country where I was born is different from the country where I claim roots is different from the country where I now reside.

The city where I was raised is different from the city where I now call home is different from the city where my heart is.

The two most important realizations I've made in contemplating my position as a "traveler" (I am still working on becoming comfortable with such an identity) are the following:

1. I have seen many places already as a young person. I recognize the privileges and blessings that I've had in my life that allowed me to see and even live in corners of the world with my parents and younger sisters. One does not need to be in their "twenty-somethings", travelling alone, and/or backpacking through Latin America, Southeast Asia, or Africa to qualify as one who loves to travel.

2. Neither must a "true traveler" traipse exclusively to or find delight only in places which Americans deem as exotic or paradisal. I find joy in discovering the most frequented cities and remote towns of the United States along with those of other countries. My experiences in the former are just as worthy of documenting and sharing with others as the jungles of the Philippines and the beaches of Cuba.

This blog will serve as a promise myself to continue to see the world. It will contain memories of places I've visited many years ago, advice I've received from fellow travelers, things and places I dream of experiencing, and maybe even my own advice to others.

Happy trails!

April