Wanderlust by Katelyn

Wanderlust by Katelyn - November 2017 Scholarship Essay

I had the opportunity to study abroad in Southern Africa for one semester with The Traveling School during my junior year of high school. It was an experience that I think every college student should have. I found that while abroad, I was more invested and interested in my classes. I was more independent and responsible and I gained a ton of confidence.
While traveling throughout Southern Africa, I was also taking six honors classes. Even though the classes were challenging I found that I was excited to learn everyday. Instead of just reading facts in a textbook, I was seeing and experiencing first hand what we were learning. For science, we studied elephant behavior as they drank at a watering hole, for history we interviewed Dennis Goldberg, Nelson Mandela’s right hand man. I was actually interested in what I was learning because I was living it.
Being on another continent, without parents, really forced me to become independent and responsible. I had to learn how to manage my own budget and time. I learned how to travel in another country safely and how to be aware of my surroundings. I was in charge of getting up in the morning and getting where I needed to be. I was on my own. In college, I’ll benefit from these experiences since I had to quickly learn to rely on myself.
Traveling also helped to open my mind to other cultures and ways of living. I realized that the American culture is not the only one in the world. Being surrounded by different societies really cemented that fact. While in Cape Town, South Africa, I had the opportunity to spend a week living with a family. I was seeing and experiencing first hand how people live their lives and I got to be a part of it. Wherever the family went I went with them. We went to church, the store, the mall, ice skating. I learned more about the culture and the people of South Africa in that one week than I had the rest of the trip. Getting the chance to live with a family and become a part of the culture is so important. I got to experience the city as a citizen and not as a tourist.
Many people say that the best time to travel is in college and I agree. I gained a better love of learning and a sense of wonder and appreciation for the world around me. If I had the opportunity to study abroad in college, I would love to get to experience other continents and cultures. I would love to go to Peru and learn first hand about the rich history of Machu Picchu. I learned a lot from my time abroad and I will take what I learned into my college experience.