For most of my life, I was a homebody. Unadventurous. Boring. Stagnant. Being comfortable on my couch, I enjoyed looking out and observing the world from the safety of my home.
On my couch, I felt comfortable at home staring out the window fearing the unknown. It was the fear of new experiences. Stepping beyond the comforts of my home meant the small chance of encountering something new. What if what I see changes my life, changes my goals and changes my perspective? What if I see and experience changes all I know, changes me?
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown”
H.P. Lovecraft
Of course, this was an irrational fear. People change. The world changes. I will change. This wasn’t new news to me but I hated change. I enjoyed being comfortable and knowing exactly what I’ll think today and tomorrow and always.
BUT DANG DO I LOVE TO SEE THE WORLD.
The moment I opened up to the adventures beyond my door, I became addicted to seeing the world. The culture, the people, the food — every aspect of travel intrigued me.
Thailand, Taiwan, Denmark– each so rich in culture. I am so grateful that in my life I am able to travel and see the world. I want to share my experiences to those who will listen. I hope it can be accomplished through my writing.
In the next couple of months, I hope to learn more about the interconnectivity of travel and different aspects of society. While learning more about all aspects of travel, I hope to also work on my ability to write. I hope to improve my writing skills and diminish the fear of sharing my opinions and works. Throughout this course, I also hope that by exploring the impact on travel, I wonder if the experiences of my adventures will evolve.
Over last decade, I have determined the major reason of my lack of confidence. I think growing up with English as my second language made me feel like I was constantly behind my peers. I was born In Taiwan and shorty after my birth, I was brought to the United States. Despite growing up in the United States, my exposure to English was extremely limited. Going to preschool I faced difficulty communicating with other kids. I spoke Chinese at home and knew no English. Going through elementary school, learning English was so difficult that I feared writing. I didn’t trust my skills and never thought my English was adequate enough to write something good. Even making it through high school, I still doubt my abilities. My goal for the near future is to become more comfortable with writing and sharing my thoughts through words.
As you follow my adventure through this course, I hope you may learn from my experiences and opinions. I am excited to communicate what I learn and improve my writing as well.
Beyond My Door 