Wanderlust Chronicles

Just a few months ago, a UM alumni student came into my International Business class to speak about his endeavor visiting every single country. This student was the youngest person to reach this goal and had so much knowledge to share with my class. There are many interesting lectures I’ve had at UM, but this one had my full attention for the entire class. It was inspirational to hear about how much this individual had learned and gained from experiencing other cultures. Not only was I super interested in this subject, but I found that my entire class had questions to ask him about his journey. Each question asked was met with a meaningful answer, which kept my attention and increased my curiosity about traveling. 

My love and interest for travel did not start at that moment, as I have always been curious about different cultures, languages, cuisines, religions, etc. The word “wanderlust” details someone with “the irresistible urge or desire to travel and explore the world; a strong longing for or impulse toward wandering”. This word has always resonated with me, as I always had so much curiosity and excitement about the world around me. 

I have always felt a sense of diversity in myself, growing up with a foreign parent. My mother grew up in Peru and immigrated to the United States when she was 17 years old. Despite the fact that I have never lived in a foreign country, I feel as though I can gain a sense of my mother’s perspective and knowledge. In addition to this different worldview, I had always been exposed to different types of foods, eating traditional Peruvian dishes as well as other exotic foods that most children wouldn’t normally eat. I knew that I wanted to experience new foods and cultures because of how I got to experience my own culture growing up. 

As I approached college, I knew that given the opportunity, I would study abroad. At the time I entered college, I had not been to Europe and I knew that I always wanted to visit/live there. When my sophomore year rolled around, I was elated at the prospect of applying to study abroad. I don’t think that I have ever been more certain about something than applying to study abroad in Rome. My fall semester junior year was when this dream would come to fruition. 

When I started my semester abroad in Rome, I started my first day with a lot of excitement as well as fear. I remember asking myself on one of the first nights if I had made the right decision packing up everything and living here. I had left all of my friends, family, and traditional college experience behind. Luckily, as not to my surprise, everything had worked out even better than I imagined. 

In my semester abroad, I had the opportunity to visit 10 different countries: Spain, Germany, England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Netherlands, and Belgium, all of which had so much culture to offer. Each location was so exciting to explore and learn about. I was even lucky enough to go on some of these trips with different groups of people, making each experience unique. In each country, I made sure to try their most popular foods and go to their most popular landmarks. The best part of each of these trips was the ability to just walk around and take in the sights. While seeing the tourist attractions was valuable, the most culture enriching experience was simply walking around the streets, going to the market, and living as if you were a local. 

I especially got to live like a local in Rome. Each additional day living in Rome planted my heart into the city further and further. I had found my everyday spots at the cafe under my apartment, the local grocer down the street, and the pharmacy with all of my favorite skincare products. Getting to know the individuals working at each of these establishments made me feel an even greater sense of connection to the city. The relationships that I made in Rome are those that I seek to find every time I travel. 

One day I hope to travel the world with the same intentions I had studying abroad: to meet new people and immerse myself in the culture. I learned that the experiences that I have traveling to new countries had a role in building my confidence and sense of independence. “Life is short, the world is wide, I want to make some memories.”