Assignment 3: Annie Bohannon Learning to Love the World

When I was 12 I had the opportunity to go to the small Carribean island of Saint Kitts. When my mom told me we were going there, my first reaction was why? I had never heard of this place and I certainly was not happy to be going there. I hated planes, flying and the idea of being someplace foreign and unknown. I had to go get a passport and everything because St Kitts is its own country free from French rule. The day of our flight we arrived at the airport and my dad showed me where we were going on a huge map of the world on display. That's when I realized that we were not only going on a plane but flying over water. I was terrified. Right then I told them I was not going. Lets just say my mom had to drag me on that plane and I’m so glad she did. Because this trip changed my outlook on traveling and the world. The people that lived on this small island were so kind and accepting. They went out of their way to show us the island in all of its glory. This was my first time being out of the country and my first time encountering a new culture and way of life. Everyone in their community knows each other and would do anything to help anyone, even strangers like us. People would invite us into their homes to eat and celebrate even though they had just met us. This experience made me fall in love with traveling and exploring new places and new cultures. I was no longer afraid of the unknown and I wanted to travel the world. This experience helped me to think of the world with an open mind and made me love learning about different cultures.