I was a traveler before I could even walk. Seems impossible, but if we’re speaking technically, then it is true. Before the age 5, I had traveled and lived in Los Angeles, Chicago, Flagstaff, Savannah. How did I see so much of the world before developing into a full human being? A woman with a thirst for traveling birthed me. My mother, Gladys, moved to the United States from her home country of Belize with dreams of opportunity and prosperity. Her wanderlust did not end with my birth...or my brother’s...or my sister’s. Eventually, when her children began to approach the age of formal education, Gladys decided to settle down in Savannah, Georgia. This is where my relationship with travel begins.
Unfortunately, I cannot remember any of these destinations. Like I stated previously, I wasn’t even able to walk yet while I was in half of these locations. I highly doubt I was snapping photographs and discovering local hotspots while eating pureed peas and drinking formula. But my mother spoke fondly of these places many times and sparked my inherited traveling bug from a young age. At night she would braid my hair for school the next day and recount the lively nightlife of Los Angeles and the magical snowy winters of Chicago. And I would listen and dream of these mysterious cities where apparently all the fun things happened. Savannah over the years had become a prison for me. My mother at some point in life, probably motherhood, decided that travel was only for her and no one else. As a teenager, I wasn’t even allowed to travel to the local mall. Her overprotectiveness transformed my traveling bug into raging traveling itch. At the age of 17, I decided to break out of my prison.
At my high school, every senior receives the opportunity to attend “Grad Night”. “Grad Night” is special because Disney World gets shut down and is only available for graduating high school seniors for a night. Pay your $300 deposit and you get to travel with all of your friends to Disney World. This sounded so incredibly boring to me. I wanted more. So one day while perusing the web, I stumbled upon the upcoming tour dates of Sleigh Bells (my absolute favorite band at the time). They would be playing in Orlando during Grad Night. I groaned at the painful coincidence. Then the lightbulb cut on and shined brightly above my mischievous head. What if I went to Grad Night...but didn’t actually go? Once the idea manifested there was no turning back. I presented the idea to my best friend who was immediately on board and also had a car. We crafted a story that somehow got our deposits returned to us. I had the funds, a partner in crime, and transportation. Nothing was going to stop me from curing my traveling itch.
Next came the hard part: planning the trip without tipping off my strict mother. There was no way she would ever let me go see Sleigh Bells at a bar in Orlando with absolutely no adult supervision. The only reason I was allowed to attend Grad Night was because it was “school trip”. I managed to keep up the front that I was still attending Grad Night and soon the day had come. I was off to enjoy a night of heavy metal noise pop (I was very into alternative genres that made no sense) and rebellion. I kissed my unknowing mother goodbye and hopped into my best friends car, finally leaving my prison behind.
Orlando was a dream. I felt like I had finally unlocked one of those mysterious cities my mother depicted and I was experiencing real fun. To make the night even more interesting, my best friend and I decided to adopt different identities that night and pretend to be native Floridians in order to fully immerse ourselves in the experience. I became Rose and that night Rose danced until she couldn’t feel her feet, moshed until she couldn’t tell whose body was slamming into hers, and snuck into bars until they yelled last call. As the night grew to close, I faced reality. This trip was not going to cure the itch and no trip ever would.
I returned home unscathed and safe but a different person. I realized that this itch was here to stay and that traveling would have to be an integral part to my life. Being in a different place and experiencing an unknown world gave me an indescribable high. For my own sanity, I promised myself I would never stay in the same place. From that point on, I took every possible opportunity to travel.
Fast forward and here I am at 23 years old recounting this memory in Siena, Italy. I am more like my mother than I wish to admit. When I first heard of this study abroad opportunity, I leapt at it with the same intensity and determination as I did with Orlando. The itch erupted again. Although I have been traveling as much as possible within the United States, I still had not left the continent yet. I made sure that I did not miss my opportunity to leave the United States and fly across the Atlantic for the first time. I’ve only been here for 2 weeks, but my goal is to be Rose again. I want to fully immerse myself and unlock another mysterious city. Of course, there also has to be enchanting nights of lively music because did you really travel if you didn’t dance with the locals?Although my time here in Siena is just beginning, making it to Italy has already proven to me that there is no destination that is off limits. I began traveling before I could take my first steps and I don’t want to stop until I can no longer take anymore.