Wanderlust
wan·der·lust
ˈwändərˌləst/
noun
- a strong desire to travel.
The summer of graduation, essentially the first summer of my adult life? I am left with an overwhelming feeling of wanderlust. I feel like I am obligated to travel and experience the world around me.
It doesn't help that in a social media driven world it is so easy for me compare with my peers and see that I don't lead much of a privileged life that allows me to travel to other countries. I only can live vicariously through Instagram posts and Snapchat stories.
I am however taking it one day at a time and discovering that I don't have to travel to a far distant land to enjoy my summer. Of course traveling to a far and distant land is preferred but not necessary. Countless times I have pointed out on this blog the importance of discovering your own hometown and finding everything it has to offer.
I recently just attended an event that was solely based around celebrating our town and all the amazing things it has to offer. A major street was blocked off near the town square. The street was full of local vendors in food trucks and stands. There were also two stages set up with live performers.
I had such a nice time with my friends and family walking around downtown, celebrating our city. Through this, I discovered new places to eat in my downtown area and I was made aware of some local issues. There were some political 'leaders' (not people running for a government position just local people involved with voting) who were handing out petitions and even voter registration forms, for community members to fill out.
Even though I won't be traveling to far away lands I will still be traveling this summer. This week I've already been to upstate New York to my college for three-day two-night orientation. I am highly anticipating this to be an eventful few days since this will be my first impression of the campus (yes, I accepted the admissions offer without visiting first).
Besides this being my first time in the town it was also the first time I interacted with my peers whom I will be living with for the next four years! I will do a blog post about orientations and I will also upload a list of what I brought and etc.
In late July I will also be attending a conference In Philadelphia! I can't say too many details yet (mainly because I don't know many of them) but it is very exciting thus far. This conference is a HUGE journalism opportunity and I am so excited for what results come from this.
If anyone else is having the fear of missing out (FOMO) on a great summer, don't worry! There will always be time to explore the world. Just remember that everyday is an adventure, you just figure out how your going to live it (at home on the couch with Netflix or outside in nature?).
