Love at first, or fifth, flight
My brain has stored a plethora of childhood memories, most of which are brief flashbacks to certain moments in time. One of the first concrete memories I have from my childhood goes back to a family trip we took to Fripp Island. I was maybe 5 years old, and my family had not yet moved to Canada. I remember bits and pieces of the trip as if it happened only a few years ago. I can recall playing on the beach, hanging out at the kid’s club, eating in a ballroom, exploring the vacation home… but the most vivid memory I have was stopping the golf cart and feeding deer. I can picture it clear as day; We stopped the golf cart on a little road with trees on either side, pulled out our leftover blue corn tortilla chips, and started feeding the deer. When you really think about it, this is such a random moment in time that I can think back to so well, and I was mesmerized. It’s the first time I can remember being enthralled with new experiences and truly appreciating traveling outside of my hometown.
I do have brief memories of traveling throughout the United States in my childhood, from Maine to Florida to Vermont to NYC…. But, if I'm being honest, they all blend together, aside from that trip to Fripp Island. I’m not sure what it was or why I remember these trips this way, but in my little, naive eyes, a coastal town was a coastal town, a beach was a beach, skiing was skiing, and a city was a city.
The first time I ever went to Europe was in 7th or 8th grade. My dad knew my obsession with London, and One Direction, so he surprised me with a trip during my Spring Break. I think I was too young to comprehend how lucky I was. We did all the touristy activities you can imagine… riding the Eye, touring the Tower of London, shopping on Oxford Street, watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace… But the whole time, it was like I was in a movie in, what I considered, the European version of NYC. I wanted to do what British girls did… constantly looking around hoping to run into the members of One Direction (how pathetic). It’s sad to think back to how oblivious I was, completely disregarding how awesome this trip was and focusing on being someone I wasn’t. What happened to that little girl on Fripp Island who appreciated travel on a deeper level?
A young Rachel outside of Buckingham Palace!
A year or so later, the summer before my freshman year of high school, my dad took me to Tel Aviv. This trip was a massive changing point in my life, and I got to visit a nation that some people will never see. I was in awe of the beauty, culture, and food, and I can remember almost everything we did on that trip. We walked on the beach, explored Jerusalem, rode a camel, slathered ourselves in mud, and swam, or floated rather, in the Dead Sea. But my favorite part of it all was the market, Carmel Market. Imagine a flea market but 5x the size and full of every food and knickknack you can imagine! I was in heaven. My dad and I walked through that market almost every day that we were there. It was so cool to see how the Israeli and Palestinian cultures shined, and I loved every second of it. Also, side note, I fell in love with hummus. No matter where I am or who makes it, no hummus will ever compare to the hummus I had in Tel Aviv. By the end of that trip, I learned so much, about their culture and about myself. I learned to appreciate the opportunities I have, while also appreciating the experiences of others.
My Father and I outside of Jerusalem.
Towards the end of my freshman year, my father took a job in London and moved there full-time. Ever since that trip to Tel Aviv, I have come to cherish the uniqueness of everywhere I go. Even going to London now is a special adventure, from exploring Camden Market to riding around in the tube. I’ve since been to Africa, Greece, Thailand, and more, and all the trips I’ve been on since that summer before 9th grade have shaped me into the person that I am today. I am passionate about traveling across the globe, embracing diverse cultures, and trying new foods. My fascination with other countries - their beauty, their culture, their languages, their food - runs to my core, and I now treasure every trip, experience, opportunity, and day of my life.
