From Barcelona to the Galapagos Islands
By Emma Parahus | New York, United States
Hi, I’m Emma! I am 19 years old and I’m from Rockland County, New York where I’m currently studying nursing at my local university. I took a gap year last year and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned more about myself in that year than I ever did in my whole life. I got to kayak in the crystal blue water of the Dominican Republic, snorkel with marine life in the Galapagos Islands, skydive, and so so much more. I actually found my desire to be a nurse on my gap year, so now that I am home, I am pursuing that passion. The gap year has taught me to travel more, seek more out of life and live bigger - and I am eternally grateful for that.
Has traveling shifted your perspective on the world? If so, in what has is done so?
Traveling has 100% shifted my perspective on the world, in so many ways. It allowed me to think wider, love harder, seek more, and most importantly, travel more. Being healthy and able to travel the world is the biggest blessing I have ever received. When I think about something shifting, I imagine the shift to be a little change in the right direction. But for me, my shift was drastic. I didn’t really know who I was before I started traveling. I was wrapped up in my own world, thinking I was defined by my problems. Seeing the world allowed me to escape the hamster wheel of a life, and open my eyes to bigger things.
There are many young creatives that have a calling to live the unconventional lifestyle, but they have many internal conflicts to take the leap to follow their heart. What advice would you give someone who is doubting whether or not to follow their creative passions?
“I didn’t really know who I was before I started traveling. I was wrapped up in my own world, thinking I was defined by my problems. Seeing the world allowed me to escape the hamster wheel of a life, and open my eyes to bigger things. “”
I think many young people who want to take a leap and follow their passions, are fearful of what society will say. Society has been created to fit in a box. If you step out of the box, you are not normal. The judgment and embarrassment that comes with stepping out of the box is enough for people to not step out of the box. The young people don’t know that stepping out of the box will actually open up countless opportunities and doors. It will allow you to think bigger, smarter, and deeper. Traveling opens your eyes and heart to what the world has to offer. It will grow you as a person, a more insightful person. So my advice to the young people that want to live the “unconventional lifestyle” and see more of the world, is to just do it. Take the leap of faith. You will never put out the fire that is passionately burning inside of you unless you do it. There is no such thing as a “traditional lifestyle”. You get to create the life you want. Don’t jeopardize it because you are scared you won’t fit in the box.
“There is no such thing as a “traditional lifestyle”. You get to create the life you want. Don’t jeopardize it because you are scared you won’t fit in the box.”
What has been the favorite place you have traveled to & why?
My favorite place I traveled to was the Galapagos Islands. This island is not somewhere a lot of people go, and I think that’s why I loved it so much. The whole place is a protected national park. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The trees were bright green, the water was crystal clear, the food was hydrating, and everyone was so happy. The natives didn’t live to work. They spent most of their time by the water with their loved ones. Their souls were radiating, you could just see it. You could feel it, too. They lived so freely, almost with no care. I admired them tremendously, I wanted to be just like them. The land taught me so much. We were given this land by God, we needed to treasure it - just like they did in the Galapagos Islands.
Name an encounter with someone you met while traveling that had an impact on you.
This is an easy question for me because I love talking about her. Her name, as I had learned, was Julia. She was three years old. She was my little “sister” as I came apart of a new host family in Barcelona. We didn't speak the same language, but there was this mutual connection. I think it all comes down to us just being humans. Somehow, we can make a connection with someone from an entirely different culture who speaks a different language. I had been worried that the language barrier might be a bit too much for me, but this feeling of being able to understand her calmed me down. I realized then that it wouldn't be hard to communicate with her. Whether it was dancing to her favorite songs, watching her favorite cartoons, or just laughing together, we bonded during every single moment. She made me feel like I was home, even when I was thousands of miles away from home.
What is your most memorable travel story?
My most memorable travel story is going skydiving in Barcelona. I was definitely hesitant at first but my best friend, Mary, helped me push past my fear. We took a cab to the skydiving facility, and spent wayyyy too much money on it. We just laughed because we already arrived so we had no choice but to pay the guy. We waited about an hour to actually get on the little plane. When we were up in the air, I was so nervous. Mary reassured me everything would be okay. I was hanging off the edge of the plane when the instructor reminded me that we were going to jump on the count of 3. We jumped on 2, because he knew I would clench to him on 3. Those first few seconds of falling 14,000 feet from the sky were unreal. It was truly an indescribable feeling. You feel so tiny when you look down and see a whole big world. Nothing mattered in that moment. Mary and I ran to each other when we landed, I never wanted to let go. It was the most unforgettable story.
“Those first few seconds of falling 14,000 feet from the sky were unreal. It was truly an indescribable feeling. You feel so tiny when you look down and see a whole big world. Nothing mattered in that moment. ”
