What is it about travel that sparks such insatiable wanderlust in certain individuals? Is it our innate sense of curiosity? Or is it merely our enjoyment of seeing the beauty of a place that is not our own usual monotonous view? For some people, it might just be one of these things. But I believe that for most of us it’s a lot more complex than that.
I have traveled off and on for most of my life, and at first, my impulse for doing so involved both of those reasons. But as I’ve gotten older and more self-aware, it seems like my reasons for travel are now a lot more complicated. Sure, I can still fully appreciate the change in scenery. But even if the scenery is less than stellar I seem to get excited at the thought of going somewhere I’ve never been just to meet the people that live there and experience a taste of what they do on an everyday basis. I believe our environment in which we live, in large part, influences our personalities and our perception of the world around us. If all we ever see is our own little part of the world, then our perspective is kept within our little “bubble” around us and we assume the rest of the world lives the same- which would be a gross misconception! As Saint Augustine of Hippo said “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”. How boring is that?!
On my first trip outside the U.S., I traveled to Bermuda which is really somewhat of an extension of the Caribbean. So that really wasn’t a good basis for judgment. My second trek outside my home country was to Europe- England, France, and Spain to be exact- on a high school trip. While they were considerably different from the U.S., they really felt enough like it to not really change my perception of the world that much apart from the architecture and food (of course I was a teenager so I guess that’s not all that surprising though). It was not until I took a somewhat unexpected trip to Morocco that my relatively limited view of the world was vastly expanded.
While not at all what we had expected, since we spent our time in the northern portion of the country rather than the south at the edge of the Sahara Desert, Morocco was uniquely different from anyplace either of us had ever been. The cacophony of vehicle noises in Casablanca struck both of us as we exited the airport and even though it was similar to the usual traffic in a large American city, it was still different in the manner in which people chose to drive. Cars were darting in and out between the lanes as if the lines didn’t exist, and honking at every opportunity. Once we were able to get beyond all the chaos though, we able to navigate ourselves well enough to follow our driver to his taxi cab and be on our way. Little did I know that this trip was to drastically alter the manner in which I wanted to travel from this point forward.
Morocco had actually been on my radar since I was relatively young. On a trip to Disney World we went through Epcot’s World Showcase exhibit and I remember marveling in the Moroccan Pavilion at the amazing architecture and the beautiful arts and crafts. From the intricately detailed rugs, tajines, jewelry, pottery, clothing and right down to the “Genie” lamps promising to fulfill your every wish (or at least three!), I was hooked. It didn’t matter to me that the architecture was simply staged or that perhaps the arts and crafts weren’t actually originally from there, I knew one day I would visit that place. So when an opportunity arose to visit my husband’s cousin who was teaching there at the International School in Casablanca, he and I jumped at the chance! Turns out that we would not be the least bit disappointed in our decision.
What I personally found in Morocco was a change to my way of thinking about travel. The people there were so welcoming and friendly, and it was not necessarily that I thought they wouldn’t be, it was just that they seemed to be so very eager to share their culture with us. People embraced us that we didn’t know, they were anxious to find out more about our lives and where we were from, they even teased my husband Craig about having a “harem” because he was traveling with his two female cousins and his wife. What I soon came to realize upon speaking with several different people from all walks of life in their beautiful country was that people, no matter where they are from or what language they speak, all want the same things out of life. They all want to be able to provide for their families, they want to be content, and they want to go about their lives in the manner in which they are accustomed without too much interference. They want nothing different from you or I- they just want to be happy.
It is that epiphany that I came to that made me realize that I want to use this blog to expose people to other places they may never have been to; to try to open peoples’ minds to what new and exciting experiences might be out there; for them to connect with something in themselves that sparks a sense of curiosity and wonder in them. Basically, if you don’t already have an innate sense of wanderlust, I would like to tap into something that ignites that. And if you do, then I would like to fuel that with stories and pictures that make you want to travel more to locations that feel different and alien-like to you, whether it be halfway across the globe or the city next door that you’ve never visited.
I just ask that you be patient with me- this is my first time writing a blog and I will do my best not to disappoint, but I also will likely make many of first posts primarily about locations that I know best here in the United States. If you’re reading this from out of the U.S. then you might find it interesting regardless, but if not- stick with me and I will try not to bore you! Don’t worry though- I intend to discuss Morocco very soon… I can’t very well tease you with that and not elaborate on it further, that would just be mean! So check back soon!
Feel free to share your comments with me- but please try to keep things positive. This blog is meant to be a forum for sharing thoughts, ideas, stories, and information from people of all walks of life in all countries. I hope we can all engage and learn from each other!
Thanks for taking the time to start this journey with me and I look forward to sharing more stories and photos of travel and My Neverending Waderlust with you!
With thanks! Valuable information!