Today as I sat staring at my work thinking to myself about how tired I felt, I reflected on the fact that I may have burnt out and may benefit from a gap year before college. Gap years definitely have their pros and cons in the public’s eye and people decide how to spend them in a variety of ways. If I had the opportunity to take a gap year, I would most likely spend a majority of the time traveling. I believe in learning from exposure through traveling. Other cultures can enhance and deepen one’s understanding of the world. Ideally, I would spend a couple weeks in each country.
My first trip would take me to South America as I have never been there before. The culture there appears extremely diverse even within each country and region. I would love to try using my Spanish skills and further my knowledge of the language. When I travel there, I want to see both rural and urban areas. I also want to visit the natural wonders present in the countries. While working on a project about Bolivia for my Spanish class, I learned about many natural spots there, such as Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake. On this lake, there are islands where the first Incas lived. There are ruins from their civilization and stories behind many parts of that region. Evidently, Bolivia and many other places hold deep cultural histories. I love learning about different cultures, and I know that there are many in the world of which I have never even heard yet. Come back next time to listen to me expanding upon places I would want to visit.