Aerie InternationaL - Missoula County Public Schools

me, I drink. When my brain turns into a slushy pudding of mixed emotions,
I write.
AI: Do you have any advice to give to students who wish to travel?
ELP: To students who wish to travel, I say enjoy yourself. If you’re
hankering after museums and tourist sites, by all means follow the crowd up
to the Louvre or Stonehenge. As a traveler, however, I like to venture off the
beaten path, actively seeking an encounter with the culture. I like the rural
and suburban areas. Instead of taking the Sound of Music Tour in Austria,
I wandered through a neighborhood and walked along the river. When
visiting the tiny fishing villages of Cinqueterre, I enjoyed the scenic hike
that sweating tourists swarmed along, but I loved sitting in the middle of
the town square and watching the little children from a local school conduct
their Carnavale parade. Do what you will enjoy, but don’t cheat yourself of
the real country. There is more to France than Paris, and there is more to
Paris than the Eiffel Tower.
AI: What is one thing that traveling has taught you about the world?
ELP: The world is going to look after itself. Whatever we do, the world
will straighten itself out. What is important is not saving the world, but
saving ourselves. When you see a recycle bin, throw your Coke bottle in
there, not because it will save the environment, but because it’s one step
closer to you getting where you want to go, to being who you want to be.
Traveling, I’ve seen third world countries and I’ve seen the world powers,
and, from what I can tell, the main difference is the kind of humans that live
in them. Of course, there are other factors. There’s technology availability,
and resources, and all of the history book answers that will get you a five on
your AP. But beyond that, there is something with human nature that makes
us want to improve, and the best way to improve ourselves is to improve the
things around us.
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