 |
| The Eiffel Tower, Taken By Me |
There is nothing I can type that will help me describe the beauty of Michelangelo's "David" or the feelings I had when gazing up at the Sistine Chapel. No amount of words can tell how small I felt while staring out across the endless landscape of Paris, in the shadow of the Basilique du Sacré Cœur atop Montmartre. The world got bigger, my consciousness grew larger and the unknown arrogance I had towards the world around me diminished. Life as I knew it was different because the box my mind once lived in no longer existed.
I traveled throughout Europe for a month and some change to Spain, Germany, Italy and ended in Paris for a week. During that time I found a different part of myself and discovered that my life here in America was not the only way of doing things. I was bombarded with differentiating views; some of which I have still yet to shake. It was an eye opening experience to say the least and changed me into a better, more receptive individual.
Not all who go abroad come back changed as I did. Some come back worse and even more set in their ways then before they left. So, if you are about to or thinking about going abroad, here are a couple of rules to live by to keep yourself from falling into the dreaded "Arrogant American" mindset of exclusive thinking these types of people acquire.