Who is your favorite artist ? Have you thought about visiting that artist’s hometown? I’ve been liking Van Gogh’s artworks since I was little and I finally got a chance to visit the Netherlands this summer. The thing I really liked there is that you can pick one real sunflower before entering the museum. Sunflower symbolizes life, sunshine and vitality. I'm glad to see all the visitors to the museum wearing bright smiles on their faces.
Photography is one of my interest. I took it from an old friend of mine, who really loves taking photos. He taught me how to use a digital camera and inspired me with fascinating pictures that he had taken. Now I usually enjoy taking street photos during solo-travels. I prefer traveling alone if I bring a camera with me. Therefore, any time I want to stop to take a picture, I wouldn’t interrupt anyone. When I walk on the street with my camera, I walk slowly. I’m scared that I would miss something if I walk too fast. Moreover, I don’t always have my camera on. I usually look for interesting things and capture them by my own eyes first. Thus, it requires me to be really observative.
When I was in high school, breakfast was the last thing I would think about every morning. I’d rather spend 30 minutes on sleeping than preparing breakfast. I’d rather save ¥ 500 for a cup of coffee with my friends than buy something to eat on the road to school. I have never given enough care to breakfast, neither my health since I believed that if I got sick, my parents would take care of me. Things have changed since I moved out, maybe even more than moving “out”, I moved to another country to study abroad. I realize that my parents could no longer travel 3666.09 km just to take care of me when I get sick or spend a huge amount of money to see a doctor in Japan. I have no choice but being serious about my own health. I start making breakfast every day or at least buy something to eat on the road to my station. I have to make sure that I have enough energy to study and work all day long. To me, growing up is when breakfast becomes important.
It was a Sunday on Lyson Island, Vietnam. When I was wandering near the beach, I saw 2 little kids helping their mother collecting duckweed. Next to them was a bike. The bike looked pretty old, but it caught my attention immediately. I wondered when was the last time I rode a bike. It didn't take me long to walk toward them and ask for borrowing the bike for a few minutes. The kids seemed to be suprised, but they still let me take their bike (I really appreciate). That was the first time I have ever rode a bike near the beach. It was such a great experience when you could feel the fresh wind and the sound of the sea at the same time. Of course, after enjoying the ride, I went back and returned the bike for the kids. Thanks to them, I had the best ride ever.
Height is one of my biggest fears. My legs shake even when I’m just standing on a bridge. When I was 15, to mark the maturity, my team and I had to overcome a challenge (It is a trandition of my club). The challenge was climbing up a sand hill. It was a pretty high hill, which made me worried a lot. In the end, thanks to my teammates, I could make it. While we were climbing up the hill, my teammates tried to distract me from looking down by talking about other topics. When we finished our talk, we have already been there, on the top of the hill. It could be scary at the beginning, but everything become easier when we have friends around.
One of the greatest memories in my life was being a volunteer on Lyson island, Vietnam. Together with my team, we opened free summer classes for high school students there. We had 13 talented volunteers from all over the country gather and create an unforgettable summer on this beautiful island. We had classes every day, except Sunday, from morning to evening. On Sunday, our students became our tour guides. They took us to every corner of the island and told us about its history. After the trip, I have learned a lot about lives near the sea coast. Lyson was a meaningful experience that I could never forget.
Traveling is walking out of your safe zone, being open-minded to any thing you would find. Traveling is trying to understand what people want you to know, even they are in a language that you don't use everyday. Traveling is accepting the difference between other cultures and yours, knowing that there's no right or wrong when it comes to belief. Traveling is uncomfortable sometimes, yet it is an opportunity to see how diverse and wonderful this world is. Do you like traveling? I do .
