Earlier this month I wrote about how I was especially
thankful for my own city. Although this
post is another one that was meant to have made it much sooner than today,
today, and most days, I’m thankful for many other cities and towns around the
world. I’m always surprised when I meet
someone who I feel is extremely cultured, sophisticated, intelligent,
well-read, and domestically well-traveled who has also made it out of his or
her 20s without making it to another continent.
It makes me feel even more fortunate that I’ve had the opportunity to
visit Europe several times, and even got to live there for a little while.
Living in Italy, though the relationship that made it
possible ended badly, was probably one of the most valuable long-term
experiences I’ve ever had. It gave me a
new perspective on how other people throughout the world view the United
States, be it good, bad, or both at the same time. Though the US certainly has its problems with
respect to the glass ceiling and women earning lower wages than men for the
same work, living in such a male-dominated society gave me a new appreciation
for how far we have come. On a
completely different note, I also started getting more enjoyment out of the
little things in life, probably because they were so different!
Visiting other countries has led to great times with family
and friends, and has allowed me to see and experience important pieces of
history – both my own and that of the world.
Probably more important to me, however, is that traveling helped me to
find the other city in which I feel more at home than any other place in the
world: Vienna, Austria. I’m convinced
that I lived there in a former life, which also makes me wonder where else in
the world I’d feel so at home – there must be somewhere else. Here’s to more traveling in the future!
 |
| The gardens at Schönbrun in Vienna |
No comments:
Post a Comment