Let's Take a Journey: The World Outside Our Bubble

October 27, 2026 - Leandra Bergins (10)

Imagine being 80 years old, sitting in your favorite comfy chair, looking back at your life. What would you rather remember? The countless hours you spent scrolling through TikTok, worrying about your next test? Or that time you got lost in another country, in a city far away from home, making friends on the other side of the world and experiencing things that stuck with you forever?

Now imagine realizing how much of the world you never got to see.

We spend so much of our lives worrying about things that might not even matter in five years, while there is so much else to see. 

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to wake up on the other side of the planet? What do teenagers in Germany do after school? What does a normal weekend look like in Italy? How different is life growing up in France, Japan, or Australia?  

For example, the famous yellow American school buses. Growing up outside the United States, I always thought they were so cool. You see them in almost every American high school movie. I remember thinking how fun it would be to actually ride one. But once I got here and finally did, I realized that for American students, it’s literally just a bus that takes you to and from school. It is nothing special, not even the blue-and-white athletic bus that I didn't even know existed before moving here. 

Even countries that border each other can have completely different traditions or school systems. Let’s take the United States and Canada, for example. I have lived in both, and I noticed how differently school is organized. In Canada, elementary school went from kindergarten through seventh grade and then five years of secondary school. Here, there is an extra piece. Middle school. These small differences show how everyday life depends on where you grow up. 

Something that seems exciting or unusual to one person can be a completely normal part of someone's everyday routine. 

And again, it is not just about school. It’s traditions people celebrate like Day of the Dead, the languages they speak, the food they eat, the way they greet each other, and the way they spend their free time. 

This is why I think more people should consider traveling or even spending an exchange year at their dream destination. 

Instead of just visiting famous landmarks and taking pictures, you would live with a host family, attend school in France, for example, and learn a new language. Of course, leaving home and everything you are used to can be intimidating. You might struggle with being misunderstood, learning the new language, fitting in, missing your friends and family, and struggling with making new friends. But those experiences can make you learn how to adapt and will one day be your best stories. 

We get so used to our everyday life that we sometimes forget how differently people our age live in other countries. For some students, everyday life is taking public transportation to school every morning, going out of school with their friends for lunch, and not having any homework. For other students, everyday life might look like driving to school in the morning, checking Canvas for new assignments, attending football games on Friday nights, and hanging out with friends on the weekends. 

Neither lifestyle is necessarily better than the other, but it’s important for us to acknowledge how different life is for most of us and how fun it would be to experience others’ cultural experiences.

You will learn to appreciate what you have at home, but you will also be grateful for the new experiences you immerse yourself in.