Road Trips

My first experiences with traveling were in-country travel. I have been to many states (I believe about 16) across the US as a tourist, mission worker, family member, or student. One of the things I grew to appreciate about the US was the diversity I found, the beauty of the country, and the history that we have within our own nation. I know I've been to a fraction of the places to visit and done fractions less of all the interesting things to do, but I can safely say that my foundation in traveling within my own country has ignited in me a desire to travel abroad. I realize that travel abroad is much different and that the US is comparatively an infant to other civilizations in the world, but I have learned some interesting things about my own culture as I have traveled in the States. These cultural insights burgeoned from forests of Acadia National Park in Maine, were carved from the stone of the White House, homegrown from the marshes of South Carolina, were warmed from the hot sun of Texas, and even brought to life from the halls of my own state's capital (15 minutes from my house, mind you). With each new aspect of my culture, I realize many important things. Each insight helps me understand the world I have grown up in, how that world has affected me, and maybe a bit more about the unanswered questions of life. I look forward to international travel for all the new lessons I will learn and the experiences I will have, but there will always be a part of me connected to the States for good or for ill. After all, I am traveling with a US Passport =^. .^=