Leaving your
heart thousands of miles away with someone you may never see again, sounds like
a very sad story, but wait! That is my story ….. The Life of a Traveler!
I grew up in
Iran, yes, the mysterious, exotic, problematic region in the Middle East where traveling is not recommended to foreigners! This is also where I learned to
dream bigger than who I was! I spent a lot of time traveling with my family
exploring mainly the Northern provinces during my childhood. If you were born
during the war, when the scary music from the radio could become the last thing
you would hear in your lifetime, you kinda know what it means to have to be on
the road! And road is where even a three years old learns how to break the ice
and say hello, and survive the pain of the tearful goodbyes. If you spend enough time on the
road, you will know that some goodbyes are really for life, even if you choose to
think differently!
I traveled
to Switzerland when I was ten to see a large part of my extended family that
lived in Europe, for the first time. In my second night, I had missed my dad so
much that I stayed up whole night crying!! Well, it was my first time away from
him, and no matter how experienced you get in saying goodbyes to friends, it’s
always painful in almost the same level… While staying there, I had a chance to
travel around the country, and I was amazed by how different every single thing
was! Wow! Even a barn can turn into a tourist attraction for someone who has
never seen one! That many years ago, these people already knew how to get
things done the right way! That made me think; what else I’ve been missing all
these years?!
I moved to
Vancouver, Canada with my family after finishing high school. It sure was a journey
for all of us. Adjusting to a different culture, learning the language, making
friends all over again, and the weather! Oh my …. ! Did I ever get used to the weather?!
Well, it took me three years before I could call Vancouver home, and then it
was about time for more traveling…
If you live
in Canada, you cross the border often, to the point that you won’t call it traveling anymore! It’s just visiting family maybe 10 times a year in Washington,
California, or workshops in Georgia, or even concerts in LA….. Followed by some
local traveling to our neighbor cities and provinces…. You can’t tell people that you haven’t been in
Victoria, so you better pay a visit to whales! Or how can you keep the
conversation going on with tourists who have come all the way from the other
side of the world if you haven’t been in Jasper, or haven’t seen Banff! That’s why
you got to travel.
I traveled
to Korea in 2009 for fifteen days. I didn’t know anyone, couldn’t speak the
language, and had no idea if I could find the place that I was supposed to stay
at! That trip was probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I saw
more miracles happening to me during those fifteen days that I had seen in my entire
life! I left Korea knowing that I would definitely go back….
In 2012, I
took a step of faith, quit my full time job as the Information Specialist at
the Art Institute of Vancouver, took a year off from University, and moved to
Korea! I spent a year learning the language and traveling around the country
while supporting myself financially by tutoring English. I experienced and saw
things that most people cannot even imagine, and met people who have completely
changed my life….
I came back
to Vancouver two weeks ago, and I’m trying to settle down here for few years,
so I can finish my Tourism Management degree, before I do another major move. While
doing that, I’m in the process of planning my next short trip to ……….
