Footprints

If you know me, you know I would rather be on a plane headed toward a new and exciting destination. I am constantly longing for new sights, new people, new culture and new adventures. My life goal is simply to experience the world. I want to understand the things that are foreign to me.

My fascination with traveling started when I was 8 years old. My family hopped on a plane, flew over the Gulf of Mexico and landed on a tiny island in the Caribbean. Aruba’s tagline is, “One happy island,” and that it was. My family loved Aruba  and shortly after our first vacation, my parents bought a timeshare with the Marriott Vacation Club. I spent every other summer of my childhood exploring the beaches of that happy island.

Although I haven’t been back in years, I’m thankful for the memories Aruba gave me.  I remember the giant hotels that lined the ocean shore, the luxurious pools with never-ending slides, the clear ocean water at Baby Beach and the thrills of parasailing, horseback riding, snorkeling and riding ATVs through the desert. However, the things I remember most vividly are just passed the sky-scrapping hotel buildings and typical tourist attractions.

Travel a few miles deeper into the heart of Aruba and you’ll find a very different environment. You’ll see rundown homes with chipped paint and dogs tied to chains in the front yard. You’ll see an old grocery store infested with flies and women dressed in rags for clothing. You’ll find children running the streets barefoot and an economy clinging to the profits of its tourism. Many people have never seen this part of Aruba, nor would they dare leave the comfort of their lavish oceanfront views. It was this experience, though, that helped me realize if I want to understand the world, I have to be willing to see it.

This world is filled with amazing, life-changing discoveries. There are personal revelations waiting in every new adventure, and sometimes, in the places we least expect. Tomorrow, I take flight for Denver, Colorado. As I board the plane and find my seat, I not only look forward to the experiences of this trip, but I remember the wonderful places my life has taken me and all the exciting journeys I have yet to discover.