Travel broadens the mind
I recommend everyone to travel, either to the next city or state, or if at all possible to another country. During college or just after high school might be the best time to travel, you can do it as cheaply as possible and without any daily schedule. When you get older you might have a significant other or children which changes all traveling.
I've had the great fortune of travelling to several foreign nations on 3 continents, one trip was in 2010 to China.
Literally the other side of the world
For a small town boy, China is far, like faaaaarrrrrrrrr. After leaving Los Angeles it took almost all day to get to China, by flying north and over the Arctic sea near Alaska. I did not expect the route to go north and the windows of the plane got very cold, I saw Alaska (I think it was haha) and never felt further away from my home.
After being picked up at the airport in Shanghai by my (then) girlfriend we set off to the hotel for the night. I stayed in Shanghai a couple days then we went to her home in Yuyao, just south across a bay with one of the longest bridges ever built.
Unfortunately, the budding romance fell apart after only a few weeks but I was able to find other accommodations and stayed in China until my visa ran out 2.5 months later.
Alone in china, and I don't speak Chinese
Before leaving the USA I had tried to learn Chinese. I previously learned Spanish with one semester at University and a similar full emersion for 3 months in central America, so I thought I could do the same with Chinese. I was SO WRONG!
I downloaded an app to learn and it was very difficult, it's not just the syllables but the intonation as well, and I struggled. I knew I was in big trouble when it tried to teach me the word for apple. The screen would display an item, say it in English then say it in Chinese, I was then prompted to repeat the Chinese word into a headset. The screen showed an apple and the word in English, then showed and said 'pingguo' so I promptly repeated my understanding of how it said it.
Wrong.
Again I repeated the word with a slightly different intonation.
Wrong again!
I tried over and over for 5 minutes to correctly say the Chinese word for apple, all to no avail. Finally, frustrated I yelled into the headset "Ping Pong!" To which the machine promptly said "correct!"
Wow, what a waste of time that app was, so I decided to scrap it and just wing it when I got there.
That didn't always work
After only a few weeks I was recognizing Chinese words by ear and even beginning to read a few things, such as bus stations and train schedules. Speaking Chinese however presented many many challenges to my shopping, eating, and travelling by taxi.
I had little cards printed and laminated for my address and the address of a nearby English school, so I was able to taxi home from anywhere in town.
There were several occasions when I would travel by train and bus to other cities to visit friends.
One such occasion was met with difficulty
Luckily, on the way I had no communication issues however our bus broke down for hours on the highway before arriving very late. My friends were so kind and friendly to wait for me there at the bus station until I arrived. I had an amazing time visiting a silk factory, my friend's medical equipment factory, and finally an ancient Buddhist monastery with one of the largest sleeping Buddha statues.
I ate stinky tofu and it was so much more delicious than it smelled!
We toured the city for two days, enjoying sights, sounds, and flavors. Then it was time to get back to 'home.'. Thankfully my friend helped me at the bus station to leave, but when I arrived in Ningbo to transfer to a train there were only taxis and no one spoke English. "Okay, well here I go," I thought as I began to speak, probably the worst ever, broken Chinese asking to go to the train station. "Ching when ho shoe Shann?" I tried as hard as I could to say 'Qing wen huoshushan,' or "where is the train station" which is what I was told to say by my friends. The taxi driver had no idea what I was saying and neither did his other passengers.
Sign language works everywhere
So, exasperated with my terrible Chinese I began to sign language to the driver that I needed a train. With my arms I made one hand drive like a train and said "choo choo!!" To which the driver laughed and said "choo choo, way?" and mimicked my motion, he then made a jet sound and waved his hand with fingers out like wings saying "mayo" or no in Chinese. So I confirmed, "whoooooosshhh! Mayo. Choo choo! Yes, hun hao (or very good)." The driver and the passengers all laughed hysterically all the way to the train station. I thanked him, tipped him, and watched as they waved and laughed even more hysterically as they drove away. I got on the train, went to Yuyao, hailed a taxi and handed him my "Home" card... He took me straight home, and I went upstairs to my bedroom and laughed so hard, thankful I had made it home before midnight. I also made a new friend, who spoke English, on the train that night who also showed me around the city the next few days.
Troubles but never regretful
This story represents the communication issues I had the entire time I was China, but it didn't stop me from traveling around. China is such a beautiful country with friendly people and it was before RonaTimes so there was no fear of a virus in my mind. I enjoyed every second of my travels there, even when I was taken to the wrong bus station or hotel by accident. I walked to the grocery store every few days passing old men fishing and playing Go in the park. It was so different from everything I knew back home in the States, and yet so much was familiar. Here people go fishing and play checkers, and I even had a float trip down a river with plants similar to a river I float often.
In conclusion... You should be traveling
Travel. Travel. Travel! Are you traveling yet!? All jokes aside, do it when you can wherever you can. Can't afford a trip to China? Travel to the next city over and find some things that aren't in your city. Wherever you go, have fun! Even when you run into problems.
