Travel – The Only Thing That Made Me Richer

They say that home is the place you want to return to, but I don’t think I will ever be completely at home again. Part of my heart will always be elsewhere. However, this “elsewhere” in my life just serves as a filler-word to describe the eight-hour, 4,000 mile flight separating myself between my hometown Michigan and my host country Germany.

A lot can happen in a month. And a lot did happen in a month. I paid the high price of putting myself out there to develop a richness, discover the unknown, and love and know many people in more than one place.

I would not trade my time as an exchange student for anything. Oh, and if you asked, I would do it all again. At the end of the hour, at the end of the day, at the end of the month, at the end of the year. I would do it all over again.

And this is how it starts.

A few years ago, I had the privilege to serve as an exchange student for a month in a little town right outside of Frankfurt, Germany. Making a big life change is pretty scary, but what’s even scarier is knowing that I’ve never felt more alive.

In Michigan, I was used to the busy streets, 7 AM traffic, and name-brand grocery and convenient stores on every corner. In a heartbeat, that was all traded in for being one of the only platinum blondes in a European city, local shops and villages, and castles that look like they were photoshopped in real-life.

There’s just something so satisfying about being able to throw around a few words and sentences of another language, knowing how to say thanks at a family-owned restaurant, or simply getting to hear the authenticity of a language, all while staying in the native country you didn’t know could impact your life in such a huge way just a few weeks previous.

Although I had two years of German at my local high school at the time, nothing quite prepares you to learn a language like throwing yourself in the native country. I attended a local school five days a week and lived with a family that is now my second forever family. Getting your daily Starbucks drink between 1 to 4 PM, and sitting at your desk every day, while stuck with a view that consists of staring at the clock not nearly interesting enough? That’s why I made it a point to find a new cafe, try a new drink, and go to a place where I could be challenged to get out of my comfort zone. Not to mention I found a much better way to spend my $4.

Let’s face it. Travel gives you some cool stories, and stories I do have. Just the words “When I was in Germany” always instantly gives me some brownie points. Even when activities seem unimportant, the nostalgia and distance of my exchange experience always seems to come in handy and create an irresistible spin that makes even the mundane things interesting.

While away from your hometown, I think you can learn that what you may think is your personality is really just a collage of Instagram quotes and cleverly contrived lyrics from songs that radio hosts play from “this week's Top 40.” Travel is one of the beautiful things that always encourages those to find fulfillment in who you really are. This can be done by experiencing events, activities, places, buildings, and people that are typically outside of our worldview.

The most math I have ever done in my life was when I constantly counted the time difference between where I was and home. I’ve always been a travel enthusiast, but my time in Germany was more to me than another trip through baggage and airport security. The photographs, journals, and souvenirs are nothing to me. The friends, family, and experiences I will forever take with me, however, are everything.

Some nights I find myself pulling out my old postcards, cups from restaurants, and notes that my friends in my host country gave me that are stored in my closet. Other nights, I find myself up at 3 AM Googling the next flight to Frankfurt, Germany.