“Hit the road,”
This is what people usually suggest for those who need time for self-discovery. One of those people was me. For a while, I have been willing to have time for my own soul searching. Curiosity and aspirations to find who I truly am led me to various activities. However, the question still remains. Sometimes, I dreamed of just hitting the road on my own. Unfortunately, due to practical limits such as financial issues, the chance was not allowed.
The fact of becoming a junior sounded like loud and fast ticking of a clock. Tic-toc. Tic-toc…I tried to silence the noise but it did not stop. New Year’s Day which is usually full of hope and wishes was not as pleasant as it used to be. Every time I turn the leaves of my diary, the pressure seemed to get piled up. Then, I stumbled into a journey of 14 days, which enabled me to search on myself. This winter, I got a chance to go to the US. Unlike from any other trips I have been to, this one was very unique. It was one of the most exhausting but at the same time the most valuable experience.
Different from other trips, this time, I went with people I do not really know much about. Partly, traveling with people who I just met perhaps made this journey special. Getting to know each other through traveling around the cities was an interesting experience. As we spend time together, we get more acquainted. Every day, looking at how they get to know me taught a lesson about who I am.
Going back to places I have been to when I was young also presented me a time for looking back. The exactly same places gave me a totally different impression from the last time I stood there. In a half of a decade brought me such a big difference. Back then, everything seemed so big to an 18-year-old girl. Now coming back after getting older, it seemed smaller. While they had been some kind of fantasy to me, for a 23-year-old, it came to be as a city where people live. Five years ago, there was a girl who was taking pictures for everything. Now more than putting those landscapes on lenses, she is willing to see them with her own eyes.
Moreover, instead of tourist attractions, I wanted to see how people live such as what kind of outfits they wear, what kind of lifestyle they prefer. Back then, the fact that I saw the Statue of Liberty and Empire States Building was important. However, figuring out why these became so popular was our tasks. Taking the funniest and the most memorable picture together was another duty. Also, if I were a teenage girl who came to New York few years earlier, I would have tried to go to famous restaurants. This time, I would rather go to places where local people love. Never have I imagined I would have such an interest in these areas. It was a new discovery of my own interest areas.
During two weeks, for some days, I got really sick due to the cold weather in New York. At nighttime, I was not able to sleep until dawn not knowing the reason. Perhaps these situations led me to become more sensitive during the trip. However, besides these, I was able to see how I react when I am physically tired or sick. What kinds of good and bad sides I have was another valuable trophy.
A journey with a stranger was not totally a horrible idea. With strangers, ponder about how much you have gornw up comepare to when you were young. Then, you can “hit the road” of your own.

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