Thankful Thursday

Since I had such a nice response to last week's Thankful Thursday post, I thought I would do another one this week. I just got back to the hotel room from the office, and have a bit of time before heading out to supper with my co-worker. It's been a really busy trip, filled with learning, but it's been an excellent experience for me. I'm far more "on board" with the project than I was before I came, and that's a good thing.

This week I'm very thankful for the traveling I've been able to do. During elementary school, my dad won a pair of flights to a list of various places, and he and my mom settled on Portugal. Initially my brother and I weren't included in the travel plans, but that changed. We spent a month just outside of Lisbon, in a small place called Sintra, and it was great.

Following high school I spent a year as a Rotary International exchange student. I lived in Denmark for a year, learned the language, fell in love with the culture, and enjoyed life. During that year I traveled to Prague twice, as well as seeing several other major European cities. It was the experience of a lifetime, and it changed me a lot. I developed a lot more self-confidence, my public speaking skills grew exponentially, and I learned to communicate with just about anybody, regardless of language barriers.

As part of the MBA program I took, I was offered the chance to travel to China (Beijing, Shanghai and Huangzhou), and although I hadn't really considered the Far East as one of my top ten vacation destinations, how on earth could I say no? I didn't! I climbed a part of the Great Wall, walked around the Forbidden City, and had experiences that were uniquely Chinese.

With my job I've traveled a few times, and that seems like it'll be the norm for the near future. I'm also lucky enough to have the means to get to Vegas a few times, as well as traveling to the major Cocker Spaniel show in the US twice already (Indy and Philly), and once more in less than 50 days (Pomona, CA).

I think that traveling really broadens your horizons and shapes your view of the world. I highly encourage you to get out and see the world, because you'll never come away knowing less than you did before you left. Bon Voyage!