Thoughts on This Trip (Luke)

     We are 3 months done with this trip and we have had a blast. We have learned so much in so little time it is amazing. The 7th grade this year is learning about ancient Asia and ancient Europe. Instead of answering questions about Taoism we can go to a museum and see what their gods looked like and what their purposes were. We also get to explore places and so far I am not regretting the decision of doing the trip.  We also have experiences I would not have expected that we have learned from.  For example, never would I have been able to order anything off any menu at a hole in the wall restaurant in Beijing.

      I think one of the hardest things for me on this trip is not having a daily routine. I miss going to soccer games on the weekends and taking a run whenever I want to. We have visited parks to play soccer and have run two races. I realized though that I would rather go river rafting in Bali or go hiking in Borneo than play soccer on the weekends.

     Whenever we meet up with somebody on this trip they ask us the same question "What's been your favorite thing on this trip?" I then reply usually with a disappointing answer of "I don't know" or "Everything". Everyday is fun and amazing in it's different ways. Yes there are some days that are better than others so my top three things have been: #3, visiting the Green School in Bali, #2 watching the Boston Red Sox win the World Series in a little bar in a Chinese Hutong in Beijing, and by far #1 watching the Hanshin Tigers baseball game in Osaka. I left out many things like rafting in Bali and eating Yang's Dumplings in Shanghai. The list could go on forever.

     Of course my mom and dad would have never done this if they thought we wouldn't learn. I have learned 3 major things on this trip so far:
 1) Try new things. Yes, this is kind of cheesy but it's true.
2) Never say No! I have learned that if you want to have fun experiences on this trip you have to always say yes. Yes we could take a plane but why not take an overnight sleeper train.
3) The last big thing I have learned on this trip is that bonding is both good and bad. I have gotten to know both my parents and my sister really well. I have learned new things about everybody on this trip, some I probably didn't want to know!  We are with each other 24/7 making it sometimes unpleasant. Almost every conversation that my parents have had has been interrupted  with one of us saying, "What?" or "What are you talking about?". Although we have all enjoyed each other's company, I think we would all like to go home and have a night with none of the others around.

     I think that this will also change the way I look at the world. I will have more interest in the world news and whats happening across the globe. For example, there will be uprisings or economic crashes in various places, tell me more,  I went there. I also might look at somebody of a different culture than mine and see them doing what I consider strange things. Before this trip I would look at them, and be confused. I would usually walk away. After this trip I think I might be able to realize that whatever seems strange to me probably isn't strange to them. I think I will have a different perspective on life and the way I judge people when I come back.

     So far I think that this trip has been the time of my life. I might not enjoy the homeschooling part and the constant togetherness part of the trip but besides that I think that this trip has been filled with happiness, learning different cultures, and most of all taking a year to explore.

One of my favorite quotes is from Ferris Buehler in Ferris Buehler's Day Off which I think applies to our trip. At the start he says "Life moves fast, if you don't stop and look around for a while you might just miss it." Well said, Ferris.