Step out of your comfort zone
Ever since I watched DDLJ, I have always dreamed of finding my Raj on the Eurorail. For me, Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan’s adventurous backpacking trip through Europe was life changing. So much so I admit I actually spent a six-month period of my college life studying in London and travelling through Europe. Anyone who has travelled to a new place alone or with friends knows the feeling of discovery. I think that everyone must travel outside one’s comfort zone. In fact this should be done at a relatively young age and here is why. I found out more about myself in the first week I spent in London than I did about myself in the 17 years I spent with my parents. I think that it is essential for a young adult to make decisions and then take responsibility for them. I think there is a lot lost when you depend on your parents until you finish college and then depend on your in-laws and spouse after that. And I am not taking about financial dependence. The present generation of both men and women are increasingly becoming financially independent. But does that make an individual responsible or able to make sound and logical decisions? The lessons learned when you take care of yourself in a foreign land for a period of time and try and soak yourself in a culture alien to you is an experience that I promise you will leave you wiser. The easiest way to begin a journey of exploration of everything our world has to offer is to drive cross-country, or cross-state even for a long weekend. Start small but don’t stop there. We have one life to live so take in all the world has to offer. In fact if you are in a new relationship, the best compatibility test is to travel together. You will discover the best and the worst in yourself and the person you travel with. And although travel agents are great, I see them as a crutch. If you can read, speak the language and can access the Internet, the adventure starts in the planning. So be brave, save some money, and when the time comes, go to that place you have always dreamed of. Or if you really like a challenge, close your eyes and blindly mark your map to pick your destination. Don’t let your life become a series of planned steps leaving no room for discovery. And, besides you never-who you might bump into on that train ride!
The writer is a PhDstudent
in the US
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