The gap year(s)

I just read a very well written Elite Daily article about the Gap year and Malia Obama’s decision to take one. This was very refreshing since I was semi boycotting Elite Daily articles after they published an absolutely horrible article on Iceland making ridiculous claims with the biggest being that it was a cheap destination. Funny guys, hands down most expensive place I’ve been. And yes, I stayed in a hostel and didn’t eat or drink out once. Insanity. Although still one of my absolute favorite countries. Anyways thats besides the point because they redeemed themselves with a great article about why you should take a gap year. It was very on point. What upset me was the comments on the article. The first one being “if you are lucky enough to have rich parents, its a great idea” followed by “reason number one not to.. my parents are not rich and famous haha” or “it’s a great idea when your parents are millionaires unforunately it’s not possible for the majority of the US” and the best yet “when this is your last year to live your spoiled lifestyle provided to you by hard working people and their money.. why wouldn’t you?”. I had to stop reading comments for the sake of losing brain cells. But really America? C’mon. I have great loving and supportive parents but they aren’t rich and famous millionaires who handed me my gap year(s).

I think the first problem is that people just automatically assume taking a gap year is expensive. People that travel during a gap year are usually doing just that, traveling. Traveling is much different than vacationing. Traveling is staying in cheap hostels, taking public transportation, and surviving off pasta. It’s making sacrifices in luxury to be able to see more countries and explore new places. A lot of people who go abroad for a gap year, also work. Myself included. Well kind of. I started off with an Italian family who basically didn’t want to be parents and used me as cheap domestic labor. Which happens all too often. My second family in Rome though I can’t consider work. It was fun and I felt like a family member and had tons of time to travel around Europe (but I was one of the lucky ones). By au pairing I had all my living expenses covered, received weekly pocket money, and used my savings to travel on the weekends. I didn’t go through an agency, I did it on my own so my only cost was getting to Italy.

It makes me sad that American society is so against taking time off. For the longest time I found myself always defending my choice and explaining my plan of when I’d go to school. But then I finally realized that it was my life and I didn’t need to justify my decisions to anyone. It also frustrates me always having people tell me how lucky I am to live the life I do. As if I struck it rich or my parents keep filling up my bank account and that I didn’t work for this. And ya know what, they are right. I am lucky. I am lucky that I was born in a first world country and have the freedoms that I do, that I am a citizen of a country with a strong passport, and that I have parents who support my dreams. I am also lucky that I am healthy and can be out of the country away from my doctor as a few years ago that wasn’t something that was possible. But when it comes down to the actual concept of it, I’m not lucky. I work for it and I make sacrifices. Since being in Sydney, I had two jobs for most of my time here which never allowed for a day off. I live in a small two bedroom apartment with 9 people so I can save 70% of what I make. But all the long hours and the nasty kitchen with cockroaches won’t seem so bad  next week when I’m on a 12 night cruise to Fiji and the South Pacific Islands and next month when I start traveling again. Everyone makes sacrifices, works hard, and saves for things that are important to them. To me, that is traveling. It’s all about where you allocate your money.

I may be on my second going on third  year off so by now it’s just my life and not really a gap year. I don’t even really like calling it “time off”. Time off from what, life? To me, this is my life and in my opinion I’m living it to the fullest. Chances are I’ll probably keep running away from society’s normal “reality” until the day I find a way to make my reality something that I love. Life is way too short to settle for society’s definition of successful. Taking a gap year was hands down the best decision I have ever made in my life and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t decide to just risk it all and get on that plane. The experiences I’ve had are something that can never be learned in a book and something that will stay with me through my entire life. Don’t get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for my friends and peers persuing degrees and they’ll probably be laughing someday when I’m a 25 year old freshman but it just makes me so sad that it’s a decision that is so quickly bashed in American culture.

* I kind of started this little blog as just an outlet, even a diary and to just share my travel experiences with anyone who wants to listen (which very well may just be my mom) but if anyone in high school happens to be reading this and has ever thought about taking a gap year before you start school and you have no idea where to start or just have random questions, I would be more than happy to give you advice or contacts or any help that I could. (if you’d trust taking advice from me haha). Just ask:)

I really hope one day America changes their stance on the gap year because it can be such a life changing year of self discovery and growth. I also hope someday our country has more of a travel culture and realizes that it’s not for the rich and famous. Really anyone can do it. With determination, hard work, and the courage to just leave it’s never been easier.

“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

Okay, now I’m done ranting at those people and their irritating comments.

You can read the original article here:

http://elitedaily.com/life/four-reasons-gap-year-malia-obama/1479509/