By: Mariah Adams
No matter where I seem to move or where my travels take me, I always find myself wanting to explore on my own. And though I’m sure my mom would like to forget this, I have been doing just that since a very young age.
When I was about three years old, my family and I moved to a small village in Germany for my dad’s work. In the town of Münster-Amelsbüren, I attended kindergarten and first grade. Everyday, my mom walked me to and from my kindergarten a couple blocks away. One day, I decided I wanted to find my own way home (or to Frau Rose’s bakery...or maybe it was the toy store that sold the Scala dolls?), much to my mother’s dismay. Of course, mind you, I did not live very far from my home, but I still managed to walk in circles in our small town. People around the town square recognized me and tried to corral me in the right direction even though I insisted on going my own way. Eventually I was intercepted by the couple that use to babysit me and they returned to my mother. I will always remember trying to adventure out on my own at that age.
Later in life, this need to go off on my own would follow me to Spain in the eighth grade, or Vancouver the summer after my junior year of college. In Spain, I would find an elusive toy store that sold Diddls, mouse dolls from Germany. In Vancouver, I discovered savory fish and chips in Stanley Park. I have found that I cannot sit still if I feel I need to explore an area, even where I live in San Diego. It may be cliché, but you never know what you may find around the corner.
Embrace your wanderlust and chase the unexpected.