Final Essay Proposal

For my final essay I am going to write about my first trip to Punta Cana and why it was such a disaster at first. I am going to use my family and my friends as the characters and talk about how we did not have passports while trying to fly out of the country. The theme of my essay will be how optimism and perseverance will get you through difficult times and teach you a lot about yourself. Most of the essay will be in my own head, however I am also going to include some dialogue. While it was a very dramatic experience, I am going to try to make it light-hearted and funny.

Final Travel Essay Proposal

For my final travel essay, I plan to describe my interesting plane ride to the Dominican Republic, a trip I took this past winter break during my Senior year of high school. I’m going to give a bit of context of the stressful events which explain why I ended up sitting alone on the plane while my family members sat together. I’ll share an interaction I had with the man I sat next to and the unexpected bond I had with him. The main characters will be me and the man sitting next to me, Dave, along with a few minor characters such as a flight attendant, other passengers, and my mom. I will include not only internal thoughts, but also a lot of dialogue to create character development and establish the theme. This theme will be one of finding unexpected joy and positivity by forming unforeseen relationships. Another will also be a lesson not to be judgmental of people before getting to know them, specifically based on appearance. Yet another could be that forgoing technology often leads to bonds and friendships with others.

Ian Shank

I appreciated how the article was not from a first person perspective and was able to make the reader feel as if they are there. It was also interesting how even though this article is told narratively, there is still helpful information about the hostel pricing and reviews. I also enjoyed the closing sentence about falling asleep in bed because of its contrast to the rest of the story. A question I have is, how did  you hear about Carpe Noctem?

Ian Shank

Why would anyone choose to get that shitfaced, though, and for an entire week? I never understood the appeal; it doesn't sound fun, productive, or anything else.

Ian Shank Comments/Questions

One thing I noticed from the "Famous Party Hostel" article is his use of history to convey themes. Shank uses European history and architecture to lay out the persistence of debauchery and drinking through the ages. One question I have is why did he choose to write it in second person instead of first or third? How does this change the tone and message of the piece?

Ian Shank

I thought Ian did a really good job putting the reader in the hostel. I had a good image of what was happening in the story all throughout. I also thought that he used humor very effectively to show his own attitude about certain things throughout the piece, such as the 40 year old men who stayed at the hostel and getting blackout drunk before hitting the bars.

I think writing in second person was very effective, but why did you choose to do this? Where were you staying in Budapest before you decided to go to the hostel? Was there any part of the party hostel experience that you particularly enjoyed?

Questions for Ian Shank

I really enjoyed the honest descriptions of his experiences at the hostel. The second person narration was an interesting way to tackle the unique subject of a party hostel, drawing the reader in to the situation. 

My questions for the author are: 

How did your enjoyment of or experience at this hostel compare to your other travels? Did you have more or less fun there, was it more or less of a meaningful experience, etc

Do you feel like the hype around the hostel’s experience / vibe impacted your time there?

Ian Shank

I really like the way the reader is slowly introduced to the details and the environment of the hostel. He doesn't reveal everything all at once, but instead slowly builds on what he said previously to create a really clear picture of what the atmosphere of the hostel is like. He acts as a tour guide and walks you through the party hostel. Does Ian seek out interesting places to go because he knows they will give him interesting experiences that will make for good stories? Or does he just travel wherever he wants and let the stories happen on their own?

Ian Shank

One of my favorite parts of the article is Ian puts you in the “Famous Party Hostel”. Instead of using the pronoun I, Ian decides to use the pronoun you. This makes it easier for the reader to relate to the experiences Ian has even though they are outrageous, and most people have never experienced anything like this. By ending the article with the truth, he passed in his bunk while reading a book, instead of detailing another wild night out, he makes himself more relate able because I believe most people would do the exact same thing.

There was one confusing part of the reading. Were you backpacking through Budapest or just visiting? You mention the “friendly, backpacker family”, but never mention if you were a backpacker yourself. If you were backpacking, why wasn’t that adventure enough? I’m not judging, just curious.

Ian Shank

While reading the article by Ian Shank, I appreciated how it went step by step in describing one's stay at the party hostel. This was strengthened by using second person, making the article seem like it was personal to the reader. The use of humor and not censoring any of the adult activities made it easy to feel engaged with the text and provided me with a sense of what is actually happens at the hostel, not just the typical idea of a hostel that you just sleep and shower in. I plan on studying abroad at some point in my college career and would like to travel while I am abroad making hostels the option I would most likely stay in on a budget. The article provided me a sense of what to expect when I am staying in hostels.

Do guests at the hostel stay there for the majority of their stay or do they end up exploring Budapest? Would you stay in this hostel again? Is this your most wild place you have stayed while abroad? What country do you recommend visiting in Europe?

Questions for Ian Shank

• Did you have this piece in second person from the very beginning or was there a draft with it in the first person? What made you decide to keep/change it to second person?
• While writing, how do you choose which details to include and which to leave out? Is there anything that was left out of this piece?
• Did you write this while at the hostel at all or was it written after the trip? Which would you recommend, writing while the details are fresh or after having time to reflect over them?

Ian Shank

This essay was really entertaining to read. It brought up a couple interesting questions in my head. Such as: why did you choose the second person for this piece? And: if you were to go back to this party hostel, what would you do differently?

Ian Shank

What inspired you to write this essay?

Have you had any other experiences that are similar to this?

Ian Shank

I felt like he did a great job at using slang language fairly regularly to give more experience to the essay. It was interesting to see the effects of the use of language in regards to adventures, and it really brought out some highlights during his trip.

Question: Why did you decide to use second person?

Ian Shank Reflection

I really enjoyed reading this travel journey as it made me feel like I was at the famous party hostel and it was very upfront and honest about the experience, not attempting to sugarcoat anything. The style of writing was different than the previous travel pieces we have read in that it used "you" often, making me feel like the author was talking directly to me and telling me what to expect. Ian Shank utilized his own experience as an example for how others may experience the same situation, describing possible things that they may encounter. The theme of this story apparent to me is that it is important to enjoy every aspect of traveling and fully immerse yourself in experiences, no matter how crazy they are. A few questions that I have for Ian Shank are: Do you keep a travel journal when you travel or write the story afterwards? What type of person would you recommend a hostel to?

Ian Shank

I really enjoyed how upfront this essay was. I found it very entertaining and enjoyable to read. It almost reminded me of senior year spring break trips taken to a new level. I liked the style of narration in which it was written. I liked how he made it seem as if it were happening to you by saying things like, "This is it, you will be told" and "At this point your guide will leave you to settle in". This style of narration made it interesting to read and gave it even more of a comedic tone. I was wondering how old he was when he had this experience and if it was during his study abroad trip or if he went abroad again after studying abroad?

Ian Shank

One of my favorite parts about this article was that it was written in second person point of view. It made me feel like I was experiencing the party hostel and it was useful in that it completely walked me through the experience. Also, liked how it included some words in other languages that the author translated for us, as it added to the experience and put me in shoes. I enjoyed reading this because I am actually currently trying to find hostels for a trip to Spain/France this summer. Additionally, I am studying abroad in the future and this gives some insight into what happens when a bunch of students get together. Last summer, my best friend spent a month in hostels in Germany and has told me some stories that seem to align with this one. A couple of questions I have for the author - How many countries have you been to? Do you regularly stay in hostels when you travel? Do you write about all of your travels?

Ian Shank Reflection

Ian Shank’s use of writing in second person made the Famous Party Hostel unique and intriguing. Between this and his utilization of the present tense, I felt as though I was actually at Carpe Noctem. His descriptive language appealed to multiple senses and created vivid imagery. The explicit nature of his diction without censorship of any of the somewhat wild activities was very engaging. Splitting the paragraphs into multiple sections was also very interesting and helped make the transitions clear and concise between different settings and events. Specifically the contrast of the final sentence was thought-provoking and almost comical. Shank created an experience, his syntax and diction allowing readers to essentially travel across the world from our seats. The combination of all these tools made his essay effective and realistic, making me want to actually travel to Europe and the hostel.

Do you frequently choose to use the second person point of view in your writing? If so, why and for what effect?

Snapshot photos

 

Snapshot picture

Snapshot Paper

“So, I’m riding one day, it’s my standard eighteen-mile loop, you know the one that goes out by the airport? Well, I’ve got all my gear: helmet, biking clothes, 27 speed road bike, clips, everything. Now remember this was years ago when I was young and had a chip on my shoulder, but I’m riding along and I blow right past this group of riders, and one of them was-”

“A one-armed man?”

“Yes! Have I told this story before?”

“Once or twice, dad,” I say with a smile, “But keep going.”

“Well anyway, they’re all riding crappy bikes in jeans, no clips or anything, just casual riders, and one of them only has one arm! So, I blow past them and look back and the one-armed guy is right on my wheel! I couldn’t lose him; he wouldn’t let me without first making his point. Finally, I took another route just to get away from him. That one-armed guy taught me a valuable lesson. Which was…”

 “Don’t chase your ego!” I yell enthusiastically.

“Don’t chase your ego,” my dad echoes the phrase he coined, “Or there’s going to be a one-armed guy to put you in your place.”

There aren’t any one-armed guys around, though, just the two of us and two of my dad’s friends who are somewhere behind us. It’s right around ten o’clock in the morning on the very first day of the biggest adventure of my fifteen-year-old life. I’ve got no idea what lies in front of me as I start down the California coast. My dad spent the days leading up to this moment telling me fantastical stories of fields and seaside towns, of forests and cliffs that climb for miles into the sky. Being from Illinois, I have no real grasp of these geographical features that are so characteristic of the California coastline, and I have no idea just how steep these cliffs are going to be.

But I’m not thinking of that right now. Right now, the road is flat, and my dad and I keep a good pace on our bikes by casually rotating our pedals. Somewhere above us, the sun floats in the sky, but it struggles to reach the ground under the giants that surround us and keep watch over the road. There’s a peaceful calm amidst the redwood trees that envelopes us and holds us close, and there’s an indescribable feeling that comes with being next to such immense trees. In this tightly packed environment, I struggle to imagine the view we’ll see when we hit the ocean and there’s nothing but cliffs and sea for miles. The air is chilly and damp, and since the going is easy, my dad and I have lots of time to talk.

“This one time, I was riding down this highway out East that had barely any shoulder and terrible yakity-yaks, so I’m really riding the wire…”

I smile to myself and keep pedaling. This is how we talk, with our own words and in our own language. Everywhere we go, there’s a story or a lesson, and everything my dad sees reminds him of an experience. Maybe it’s the teacher in him, but he passes these stories and customs on to me, and we add a few of our own to his repertoire. This is our culture and our legacy, and there’s nothing my dad loves to do more than tell stories. This is what we always do. We bike and we talk about biking. So, at this moment, it doesn’t really matter that we’re cutting through a redwood forest about to begin a trek down the California coastline. We might as well be back at home in Illinois riding down the Fox River Trail. No matter where we go, we’ll do the same song and dance because, for us, the place is never more important than the person you see it with.

"White Rabbit" Response

The theme of “White Rabbit” is the beauty of traveling alone. One commits to traveling by imagining it and then completes it when they travel. That can be done in a large group setting or by oneself but nothing compares to a solo trip that one relies on themselves and their abilities and allows for new experiences and insight.

I liked the repetitive nature of Keiths list going through everything that she brought as if it were a mental checklist and her reassuring herself that she was going to be alright.

I also really liked her description of the summit and how it was a view “only gods should get”. It really solidified the magnificence of the summit.

"White Rabbit" Response

I really loved Holly Keith's piece. I felt the solemnity and wonderment in her hike up the White Mountains. A prevalent theme was reverence of nature. In the beginning, Keith describes her journey of following a rabbit's tracks throughout the mountain before realizing that the rabbit is not following the same path as her. She writes, "I am intuiting the way" (1). Her language evokes imagery of hunting or tracking an animal as another animal would. By using the word "intuit", Keith paints a picture of her connection with nature. Throughout the rest of the piece, she describes the steps and preparations needed in order to get a rewarding climb. She writes that the reward often varies but an imagination is needed in order to achieve this reward. "To climb a mountain is to commit an imaginative act," she writes (7). She goes further, stating that she didn't learn this "until all the tracks were gone and I could enter wonderland alone" (7). In order to receive the reward of hiking, the climber needs to revere nature and be one with it.

White Rabbit

The theme of "White Rabbit" is that your mind is the biggest obstacle to overcome in any journey. Keith mentions this towards the end of her essay, when she says, "What you need most is imagination, a willingness to step beyond the frame of the everyday to follow the rabbit." One piece of effective language use in her essay is the way she describes the silence of the mountains: "I stop and listen to nothing for as long as nothing lasts. Sometimes it's interrupted by a bird, or by my heartbeat." She also does a great job of building suspense before her descent from the summit: "The summit, the point you most want to get to, is the farthest you can be from safety."

Cross-Cultural Encounter with Dialogue Pictures

White Rabbit response

  Throughout her piece White Rabbit, Holly Keith explores the significant rewards that come from a well prepared, demanding journey. Throughout the short essay, she describes, in a modest manner, the degree of her preparation for her trip. Her gear, her snacks, her thought processes for every decision she makes. She also, through simple but impactful language, discusses the meaning she takes from her experiences along the way. It is clear that every aspect of her journey enthralls her, not simply just reaching the summit.

The simple language she uses to describe the landscape around her is highly impactful.  “I think of the Whites above tree line as another planet. Or I think of it as back in time. It’s old up here” (5). This passage ignites a distinct understanding of what she is looking at.

“‘You sure can move in those things” (7) The repetition of this quote spoken by a fellow hiker allows Keith to powerfully and simply relay her understanding of her own preparation for her trip, and the condescension in his lack thereof. She can move in her snow shoes because she is guiding them, and she knows what she is doing.

"White Rabbit" Response

The theme of “White Rabbit” is that great reward can come from the risk of solo experiences. Keith mentions that she allows herself one mistake, “other than the mistake of hiking alone” (2), but she also says, “groups are not always safer” (4). She knows that hiking alone poses a great risk, however she recognizes this risk and is calculated in her actions. When she reaches the summit of the mountain, she laughs about having the world to herself, because most of her previous summit experiences have been surrounded by other people during summertime. Summiting this mountain taught her that “to climb a mountain is to commit an imaginative act” (7) and she “didn’t learn it myself until all the tracks were gone, and I could enter the wonderland alone” (7).  Being alone allowed her to reflect on her journey, and she was able to take away a fresh perspective.

White Rabbit

Keith utilizes a rabbit motif throughout the piece to bring forth her theme of the importance of imagination while traveling. Besides the title, Keith introduces the rabbits through their trail as she follows along their prints up the summit. At times, these tracks are the only thing that keep her company on hikes. At the end of the piece, Keith alludes to Alice in Wonderland and compares her following rabbit tracks to how Alice follows the white rabbit to Wonderland. This comparison is used to heighten her argument that more important than any gear, one needs to have an imagination to travel. Like Wonderland, nature is an out of this world place for Keith. As she states in the last paragraph, “certainly your gear and your body...can take your mind places it couldn't otherwise go. But it doesn't happen unless your mind takes your body there first. What you need most is imagination.”

Keith makes this argument very clear with the line of “to climb a mountain is to commit an imaginative act.” While she does put emphasis on the importance of having the right gear, she acknowledges that at the end of the day, the gear doesn't make a traveller,  but their mind does.

"White Rabbit"

The theme is the unique joy of having an adventure by yourself. Preparing for it alone and experiencing it alone. It sounds isolated at first, but then you realize that's the point, and that's what makes it a better experience.

The constant referral to rabbits as bunnies really stood out to me. The innocent, playfulness of the noun contrasts wonderfully with the harshness of the environment.

"I get so busy comparing the land above tree line to another place and another time, I sometimes forget that mostly it's like Earth, now" (5). This like stuck out to me more than any other in the piece. It characterized Keith's view on the mountains much more clearly than anything else did.

White Rabbit Reflection

The theme of Holly Keith's White Rabbit is that, through independence and hard work, your experience becomes the reward. She chooses to ignore the advice to hike in a group and instead journeys alone. After her hike, Keith reflects that "Today the reward was the laughter" whereas on other hikes the rewards are different.  Keith's language made the experience of her hike vivid to her readers. Her emphasis on the rabbit tracks, like Alice following the white rabbit to wonderland, created a sense of adventure. Keith's first line ties back to her final line, which connects the theme of her independence with her allusion to Alice in Wonderland. From "This bunny is not going where I'm going" which shows Keith doesn't directly follow the white rabbit, to "all the tracks were gone, and I could enter wonderland alone" which shows that she finds the most meaning by hiking alone.

"White Rabbit" Response

The theme of “White Rabbit” is that great moments of self-discovery can come from feats of independence and confidence. She reveals that she tried group hiking in summer but didn’t find a love for mountains until she climbed alone in winter. I like the way she uses opposites in groupings of two throughout the essay. For example, she says, “the potential danger is immense; the actual danger is low.” She uses these groups of two to compare reality to imagination or to explain a realization. They give the essay a practical feeling and guide the reader through her thought process. I also like that way she talks about the mountain and her experience. She has “learned to respect that which can swallow [her] whole” and always bears in mind the power of the mountain and the danger she is in, which shows how experienced and trustworthy she is as a hiker and a narrator.

White Rabbit

I think the theme of this essay is that although there is danger in solitude, there is also great reward. One evidence of this is when she says, "Today the reward was the laughter, the sound of myself finding myself alone." She realizes that the best part of her journey is the joy she feels when she realizes she is the only one on top of the mountain and that would not have been possible if she hadn't taken the risk of going all by herself. The first example of her language that struck me was when she says, "I stop and listen to nothing for as long as it lasts." I think that this sentence is very beautiful and makes the reader stop and think. The second example I liked was when she says, "I climb to a view that it seems like only gods should get." The reason I chose this is because it paints a picture in the reader's mind and is a very good description of what she was seeing at that moment.

"White Rabbit" Post

In “White Rabbit”, Holly Keith shows to her reader how hard work and preparation makes you more successful and reaps more benefits. After describing her challenging packing process, Keith realizes “the hiking is the easy part. And the climb is a reward, which varies.” One reward sounds particularly beautiful. Keith says sometimes she experiences “one perfect step on a perfect day, placing a crampon into the perfect incline at the moment of a perfect view.” Throughout her essay, Keith uses imagery to put her reader on the hike with her She describes her surroundings as “white, except the sky, which is encouraging blue” and “one of those places of pure silence.” As she lists the gear in her backpack, she repeats the phrase “just in case” as her reason for packing everything. The process of discovering what she needs versus what she wants on a hike has improved her confidence and made her hikes more successful and rewarding.

"White Rabbit" Response

One of the major themes Holly Keith writes about is the wisdom of experience. This is revealed when she says,  "Today the reward was laughter, and the sound of myself finding myself alone" (7).  Experience makes people more comfortable, even with something like hiking. This demonstrates the importance of self-discovery.
I liked how she structured her essay; she would say something about the "edge off whatever rite of passage he has planned for the boy" and immediately say, "He is taking the edge off my solo hike" (2). The opposite remark style made her essay more real. I also enjoyed when she said, "I have learned to respect that which can swallow me whole" (2). The way Keith portrayed the combination of nature and humanity was intriguing and well done.

"White Rabbit" - Holly Keith

In White Rabbit, Holly Keith demonstrates a theme of empowerment through being alone and forging a path for oneself. She emphasizes this theme by stating how dangerous it is to hike alone in the mountains, during the winter but continues to do so anyways. Keith describes how traveling alone allows your mind and body to go places you wouldn't have gone with the presence of another person or a group of people. In the piece, Keith uses contrasting elements to emphasize her preparedness on the hike, "They look at me with cold curiosity. I look at them with warm feet." She also uses a hyperbole to describe the feeling of being alone atop the mountain, "As I step above tree line and into the wind, I laugh. It's the laughter of having the world to myself." Holly Keith uses this piece to encourage going into the void alone and seeing what happens as it can be freeing and rewarding, only if one is prepared.

White Rabbit Reflection

The prominent theme in the travel story is that being alone in nature (especially travel) can be beneficial and allows one to discover themself. Kieth repeatedly mentions how traveling in a group is more common, but she prefers traveling alone to create a serene and creative experience. Kieth spends a whole paragraph listing out the gear that she uses because she believes that it is a very important part of travel. The lengthy list with items separated with commas or a period makes the reader pause and think about the purpose of every item she brought with her and how meticulously she packed. Another piece of language used is the comedy that is effortlessly interjected throughout. She mentions that her "level of error is having bought unfrosted Pop-Tarts," which made me laugh, as well as made the possible dangers of traveling alone seem less scary. Despite mentioning that traveling in groups is more common, she makes traveling alone seem much more appealing through her light attitude.

White Rabbit

I think the theme of Keith's essay is the idea that traveling and exploring alone is a valuable way to truly set your mind free and understand yourself. The author talks about how most of the time when people hike, they do it in groups. However, she prefers traveling solo. One use of language that supports this idea is her use of negative connotation when referring to her attempts at hiking in a group in the summer. She states, "with the sweat and the bugs and the tourists," emphasizing the fact that she is experienced and likes to do things herself. Additionally, she exerts herself as a hiking expert by using one-word sentences to list the gear that she uses. By omitting conjunctions or punctuation, it appears as if she is talking directly to the audience and offering them a checklist of gear to pack if they are to follow her journey and hike as well.

White Rabbit Reflection

Holly Keith relates a theme of the importance and rewarding nature of solitude in White Rabbit. She emphasizes this through her repetition of words such as “alone” and “solo hike” throughout her essay. The end of her essay specifically illuminates her appreciation of completing a journey by oneself, in her case hiking in the snow. She shares what she appreciated most from her climb writing, “Today the reward was laughter, the sound of finding myself alone.” While the climb was difficult with a few minor mistakes, she prides herself on being “Self-contained. Self-sufficient.” She was only able to discover the true joys and rewards of climbing a mountain, what she deems, “an imaginative act,” when “all the tracks were gone” and she could “enter the wonderland alone.” Her writing expresses her gratitude for completing the journey alone and the rewards of it.

Response to How to Travel as a Political Act

I think Steves makes good points about traveling as a “political act”. It isn’t an act against anyone but an act for the world. When we travel we learn to understand other cultures, we come to respect other people with their values and customs. I really liked when Rick said that we should be “striving to become a ‘temporary local’” it means that we should work hard to connect with the place we are visiting and understand the locals on a deeper level than one would have by just visiting. Traveling opens our eyes to the realities of the world and even opens our eyes to how the rest of the world views our own culture. Travel allows us to change how we see the world and ourselves to better the world. That’s what I really appreciate about this article, it’s about bettering the world through understanding.

"How to Travel as a Political Act"

I believe that Rick Steves is absolutely correct. By actively travelling instead of passively travelling, by engaging with another culture and allowing oneself to learn and grow from it instead of ignoring the place's rich history and beautifully unique way of life in favour of mindless tourism, only then can we truly evolve as people and as a civilization. Everyone should travel to another country at some point in their life, and I don't mean going from America to Canada where everything's similar enough to feel safe. We should all go somewhere drastically different, such as Greece or China or Brazil or South Africa. And when we do go, we need to immerse ourselves as completely as possible in that place's history and culture, and we need to allow ourselves to learn and grow from the experience, even if it might feel uncomfortable at first.

Rick Steve

One of my favorite parts about the chapter was actually the metaphor used on the very first page. The idea of a travel writer being the equivalent of a king's jester surprised me at first. At first, I was skeptical, unsure how a writer was supposed to imitate a clown. Then, after reading on and finishing the chapter, I was pleasantly shocked at how much the comparison made sense. Steve describes it as being someone that learns and informs for others. Going to other countries and learning about their culture and plights is great for your own education, but putting it in writing and sharing it also helps educate the rest of the world. It really put into perspective for me that when you are travel writing, you shouldn’t be writing for yourself. Sure, it is fine to enjoy the act of writing and writing about what you are passionate about, but at the end of the day, it is meant for someone else to read and learn from. In a way, it describes the responsibility of a writer in general; we write for the sake of others, whether it be to inform, entertain, or inspire.

Rick Steves

I really liked the point Steves made that by immersing yourself fully into a culture, you get the most out of a traveling experience. I would agree entirely with this, especially when it comes to meeting locals and trying new food. I also was intrigued by the point he made about the effect traveling can have on our understanding for developing countries. I agree that it's important for Americans to get over our fear of different countries in order to reduce the effect of terrorism in our country.

Rick Steves Reflection

I really enjoyed Rick Steve's article on travel. It made me consider why people travel, whether it's for leisure or work or experience. I think he pointed out a lot of assumptions that Americans make and how traveling can challenge and change those. He brought up really good points on the nature of fear. It is so true that ignorance and lack of experience exacerbate fear of the unknown. And the antidote for this is travel. Reading his article made me curious to new experiences and made me want to explore the world.

Rick Steves

I found Steve's chapter to be very impactful. Two phrases that stuck out to me were "cultural chameleon" and "cultural lint brush." These statements emphasize how people traveling must be open and adaptable to new experiences. The story about people eating with their fingers also made an impact on me, especially when Steves wrote, "That professor's hunch was right: I thought less of people who ate with their fingers. Then, through travel, I learned otherwise." Steves had been subconsciously thinking less of others for eating this way, until it was pointed out to him and he experienced the different culture for himself. However, the most impactful statement to me was "The very people who would benefit most from international travel- those who needlessly fear people and places they don't understand- decide to stay home... When we travel, we build understanding." Misunderstanding tends to stem from limited interaction and/or ignorance.

To say I enjoyed reading Rick Steve’s article is a big understatement. My printed-out copy is covered with underlined quotes and boxed words that stood out to me. Specifically, any advice about fear when traveling stood out to me. My high school is known throughout Cleveland for offering a large amount of study abroad trips. Every year there is an educational trip, a language immersion trip to Spain, and a mission trip. In the past two years, the educational trips have been nontraditional. Instead of jet setting off to Europe, the trips have been to South Africa and Australia. While on the South Africa trip, I was talking to Mrs. Kalinowski, the teacher in charge of the study abroad program, and asked her if she had any ideas for future trips. Her response was a trip to the Middle East, specifically visiting Jerusalem, but she could never lead a trip there because there would not be support from the parents. When reading this article my mind kept going back to that conversation. While the educational value behind a trip to Jerusalem is extraordinary, the fear surrounding the Middle East stops even the most religious schools from going there. I have also listed below three quotes that stood out to me.

“Traveling with no understanding of the local history is like going to a 3-D movie and deciding not to bother with the glasses."

“The more you know, and the more you strive to learn, the richer your travels and your life become.”

“The very people who would benefit most from international travel—those who needlessly fear people and places they don’t understand—decide to stay home.”

Ricks Steve Response

I liked most of what Steve had to say. I think he did a really good job of broadening his experiences and the impact things can have on each other. When he was in Gibraltar, he mentioned that a "church is built upon the ruins of a mosque, which was built upon the ruins of a church, which was built upon the ruins of a Roman temple, which was probably built upon the ruins of an earlier pagan holy place." He puts everything in a larger historical context and consistently shows how things connect. However, he could be kind of judgmental and arrogant concerning Americans and American ideals. He practically vilified casual vacations or trips that don't involve an in depth understanding of local culture and all the life changing experiences that come from such immersion. I think he was overly critical of casual travel.

Rick Steves Response

As I was reading, one passage that stood out to me was when Steves was talking about the importance of learning the history of place before you travel there writing, "Work on cultivating a general grasp of the sweep of history, and you'll be able to infuse your sightseeing with more meaning. Traveling with no understanding of the local history is like going to a 3-D movie and deciding not to bother with the glasses" (8). I have never been out of the country but I have been several placed within the US that this applies to. My dad is from Pittsburgh and before we went to visit, he told us all about the history of Pittsburgh with the steel industry and how the city is now hurting as most of the steel has gone overseas. In AP US History, we also learned about the steel industry with Andrew Carnegie in the Gilded Age and how Pittsburgh became a powerhouse. The background history helped me with talking to the natives of Pittsburgh and understanding what they have been through economically but also driving through the city and seeing a lot of old steel plants that now sit empty like large graveyards. I agree with Steves and think that learning the local history is very important in traveling to a new place.

Rick Steves Response

I really enjoyed the content of this chapter. Rick Steves asserted that to view travel  through a political lens is to question the conventional, societally acceptable way of travel, i.e. going to a remote destination to relax and hit the beach. While he doesn’t say that this form of travel is wrong, he discusses how ehancing mainstream travel can be more fulfilling. This takes the form of knowing the history of where you are going, traveling with an understanding of that given culture, and going with the intention of building understanding of and empathy for new places. This has made me think differently about travel. Rather than it being a one sided event that you expirence, it can be multi-deminsional and interactive.

It's Bag photos

 Roommates from the story (Michelle left, Quin right)

 Another roommate photo (Michelle, Quin, myself)

The bag in question

C'est Facile, Non?

If you have every listened to French, you know what the language sounds like. Most say it is beautiful and romantic. People like the way the words flow together, creating an entirely different meaning each time. This completely changes when you are either learning the language or know what the French are saying. While the words sound more sophisticated, chances are they aren’t super meaningful words. However, since I have only spoken French for four years, I cannot guarantee that I know every word in French. After all, I am still learning. 

A few summers ago, Marie came to my house for a few weeks. Marie was paired up with my family through a travel abroad program. She was best in her class at English, and she was excited to experience the culture of Colorado. I practiced my French, hoping to get better. Marie often asked us to slow down. When you speak a language fluently, you tend to speak fast. A lot faster than normal. Marie quickly pointed out that my favorite French songs, like “Elle me dit” by Mika or “Alors on danse” by Stromae were no longer popular. In fact, no one even listened to them. She introduced me to Lorenzo, saying “Ici, il est populaire en France. Tout le monde l’écoute,” or “Here, he is popular in France. Everyone listens to him.”  

Eventually, I got to know the other French kids that came to Colorado. One day, they decided to go swimming at the tiny rec center in Erie. They did not know, however, that the rec center had a disappointing pool, full of tiny children screaming about chlorine in their eyes. We all quickly decided to go where my friend, Ilana, recommended. It was about fifteen minutes away. Being the only one with a car, I drove everyone. There were seven people total, and my car only sat five. I shut the trunk while two of les mecs sat in the back. The rest piled into the seats in the middle. Ilana pulled up a GPS, and we left on our adventure.  

“Talia, encore combien de temps?” Marie asked for the group. 

“About 10 minutes left. Does anyone have any money with them?” 

“Est-ce que quelqu’un a de l’argent?” One of the guys pulled out a dollar bill from his wallet with a smile on his face. He waved it around in excitement. I looked at Ilana. 

“It will cost about fifteen a person, I think. I have some extra money, but I can’t afford to get everyone in.” I turned back to Marie and the other kids who were joking around. One of them was telling a joke about a ball but kept getting interrupted. All you could hear was “le ballon...le ballon...le ballon...” I realized that the other kids couldn’t understand me, and I could barely understand them. Marie was acting as our translator, keeping everyone up to speed on the conversation. The only problem was that Marie didn’t know all the words. 

“Nous avons environ quarante dollars. Ça marche?” 

“Oui, I think that should be enough for everyone.” We pulled into the parking lot and went inside. We left about an hour later because one of the guys had to be back in ten minutes. It’s not easy, trying to understand French. I guess it’s not easy to understand English either.