Taking the Road Less Traveled

In America, it is as if our entire lives are pre-determined. You go to school, then a university, and either find a job after you graduate or go to graduate school to further your education then find a job. There is this idea of how our lives should go about, and anyone that takes a different route can be looked down upon. In the UK and most of Europe, taking a gap year between your high school years and university years is a common thing. What people decide to do with the gap year differs, but oftentimes what happens is that the person gets a job and works for the first 6 months then goes backpacking around the world the other 6 months. This concept has always intrigued me and only made me wish a gap year was accepted in the US. Taking a year off, whether it be before you enter university or after you finish university, is a big no-no here. People will try to tell you why it's not a good idea, telling you that you are risking your future by taking time to travel around the world.

So why go backpacking? For me, it's something that I have always wanted to do. Traveling the world and experiencing the many cultures that exist excites me. Is it the wrong thing for me to do? Maybe. But the way I see it is that I finish school a semester earlier than everyone, and since I am ahead of people my age in terms of my education, I might as well use those extra few months I gained thanks to APs and summer university programs to do what I want to do. When you graduate university and find a job, it becomes much harder to travel the world and see what it has to offer. I have long been a believer in doing what I want to do. That is easier said than done, but I like to believe that the past few years have made me more independent and headstrong. All I know is that if I don't go on this backpacking trip, I will regret it more than I will 'regret' not getting a job right after I finish university.

People say that backpacking is a life-changing experience. I have no doubt about that. My plan is to go backpacking by myself. There have been so many people I have told this to that asked why I am going by myself and if I am scared about the prospect of it. I grew up an only child, being independent, and loving being able to do what I want to do because I did not have to think about pleasing others all the time. Backpacking in Europe is the perfect scenario for me because it will help me grow even more, having to deal with things by myself, while being able to do things on my own schedule while meeting others along the way.

I do hope that this culture sees the good in a gap year and how much it can help a person that does not exactly know what they want to do in the future or major in university. Taking a gap year does not make anyone lesser than others. In fact, I think it makes them greater as they have built these life skills that can be forever used. They have experiences that make them more open-minded and accepting.

You only have one life to live, so live it to its potential. Do the things that you want to do and makes you happy. Living a life according to the expectations of society will only guarantee you a dull life. Learn to stand up for yourself and your decisions.

xx