Travel
 
I ♥ traveling I think it’s genetic. My parents have shown me some greats spots on this globe, and I just want to see more and more. I enjoy the flora and fauna, the difference in culture, being on the road... It fascinates me how our planet has shaped itself so beautifully, and I hope to see the most gorgeous places still before they have been ruined by mankind. Aruba, Bonaire I set my first footsteps while on Aruba. I have been there three times as a young child. I have vivid memories of a serene seabath enclosed by the rocks, colorful tropical fish swimming around, while on the other side of the cliff the sea is unimaginably rough. I had been to Bonaire too when I was little, though it did not seem very familiar when I went there on a graduation trip from high school. The island is very dry, and merely the only attraction on land is the donkey park. However, the sea and its beautiful coral reefs attracted me most, and I have obtained my PADI Open Water Diving Certificate there. Canada I was not yet 16 when I participated in an exchange program to Toronto. I remember that I found it to be very different there than in Europe; I was not used to the style of suburbs and the skyscrapers in the city center. I climbed the CN Tower and starred in a program of a Canadian Music TV channel. I went on an excursion to the Niagara Falls, which I found fascinating; especially considering the fact that you’re right on the Canadian-American border, without being able to cross it. I have also tasted pure maple syrup, and I do not recommend it. I am actually still in contact with my Canadian exchange partner, Sarah, and we hope to see each other once again, somewhere, sometime. Costa Rica Like on Aruba, my parents have friends living in Costa Rica. This means I have visited this great destination twice, so far. There were six years inbetween, and even though I was young, I noticed the developmental change the country had gone through. On my first visit, I vividly remember the status of the main road, the Pan-American Hwy, being full of huge holes and smoke-chugging trucks. When I went there six years later, this same road was even better than some of the highways in the Netherlands, enabling us to cut almost an hour off the drive from San Jose to Las Juntas. I have spent hours and hours on the back of a horse to check the fencing of our friend’s terrain, riding through beautiful scenery, crossing rivers, and getting checked out by monkeys. I have been as close as a meter to a 2-meter-long crocodile when on a boat trip through mangroves, and have walked through the most magnificent tropical rainforests. Yet, the most intriguing experience was to observe a huge Leatherback Turtle laying hundreds of eggs on the beach; what can match that? Europe I have done countless of trips through Europe, although there are many, many more places to explore. I have been on exchange to England twice, where I have visited Bath and Lincoln, amongst others. I have been to London, a truly cool place; Berlin, where you just feel the war’s history; Paris, surely the city of romance; Venice, the gondola paradise... I have visited the great Alhambra in Spain, explored the Alps by snowboard, climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, swum in the clearest waters on Sardinia, felt the wind through my hair on Texel, roadtripped endless times through France, sailed in Italy, watched a musical in London, taken a boat tour through the canals in Amsterdam, learned to ski in Austria, seen the sun rise through the Stonehenge, gazed at the Statue of Brabo in Antwerp, taken a gondola in Venice, adored the White Cliffs of Dover, slept under the stars in France... Australia I have always wanted to go to the paradise down under, and through a study abroad program I was able to experience this paradise myself. It has been the most amazing adventure: diving the Great Barrier Reef, sailing the Whitsunday Islands, living in Sydney, roadtripping around Tasmania, wandering through Melbourne, watching humpback whales for my research internship, petting wild kangaroos, driving the Great Ocean Road, seeing the Twelve Apostles in the afternoon light, playing hide-and-seek around the Remarkable Rocks, experiencing the penguin parade, walking around Uluru and Kata Tjuta, four-wheel-driving to the million-year-old Palm Valley, learning to surf... Living abroad for 7 months has boosted my independence, as well as my lust after adventure and traveling the world. Australia is paradise, and I’m not done with it yet. New Zealand The country of the All Blacks is different in many ways from their huge neighbour. Where Australia is immensely diverse considering flora, fauna and cities, New Zealand is more of the same scenery. Not to say it is not beautiful! I have taken the Tranz Alpine train, crossing the southern island from East to West. The mountains were truly impressive. I have trekked barefoot through stone riverbeds and steep muddy rainforest paths to reach the ice of the Franz Josef glacier. I have jumped off a plane at 15,000 ft above the Remarkables near Queenstown. I have seen thousands of liters of water come down as numerous waterfalls in Milford Sound. I have talked with locals, who shared their Maori crafting experiences with me. I have watched the Haka dance of the All Blacks. It is a wonderful country, and I have noticed that the native Maori are more welcome in modern culture than are the Aboriginals in Australia, and I sincerely respect this. The Want-to-Go list The travel beast inside me has awakened: I am not done traveling the world! Not only do I think it shapes you as a person, I also just want to see the most gorgeous places in the world, either shaped by nature or by humans. On my list are the Great Wall of China, Cape Tribulation in Australia, the Inca Trail, Yosemite National Park in the United States, the cities of Prague, New York, Moscow, Stockholm and Barcelona, the Northern Lights, the Serengeti, the Amazon Rainforest, and the Taj Mahal. But not only these special places are wonderful; I enjoy walking around on local markets, taking a stroll along beaches, climbing mountains, citytripping, driving around an island... Opportunities for travel are endless, and I want to take on any of these when possible! Egypt I must admit I have only been in Egypt - Cairo to be specific - for three days, but those days were great. With a few friends, we rode on camelback through the desert and saw spectacular views on the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and a huge amount of sand. After wandering through the city center, we took a boat tour at sunset on the Nile river. Spending our last night shopping at the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and enjoying some shisha was a truly satisfying end to my summer of traveling in Africa. Kenya, Tanzania The summer of my senior year at UCU I spent participating in a development field studies program and internship. For four weeks I traveled around Kenya and Tanzania in an overland truck, learning about culture, development, politics, slums, pride, religion, education and health. I stayed with the Maasai in their manyattas of cow dung, gave a class at a primary school, saw three of the Big Five, walked for hours through deserted areas, milked a goat, climbed a mountain, chilled with flamingos, washed myself in a hot spring, listened to stories, ate chapati with avocado almost everyday, met amazing people... I have seen and learned so many things impossible to describe. This was an unforgettable experience that I am very grateful for. During my 6-week internship in Nairobi I gave seminars in Maasai communities about health and education, working for a small NGO called MPIDO. I made many valuable friends, and my thoughts go out to them, hoping I will someday see them again. As the months pass by, I begin to value and miss my time in Kenya more and more. I would certainly recommend such an intensive field studies program as you dig deep into topics that really matter.