Wanderlust: Curiosity at Its Finest

Wanderlust: Curiosity at its Finest
An Extended Definition Essay
Rochelle Rizza Yuzon
De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde

Wanderlust: Curiosity at its Finest Thesis Statement: Wanderlust is necessary for the creative mind. “Curious thoughts lead to curious places.” – Lee Jeans Philippines
Alice, drowsily reading a book, catches sight of a White Rabbit in a waistcoat. The White Rabbit brings out a pocket watch and blurts out he was running late. Out of curiosity, Alice follows the White Rabbit down the rabbit hole. Alice encounters a potion, a cake and a mushroom that could alter her size. She met animals that could talk, people who are trapped in perpetual tea time and the King and Queen of Hearts who is giving a trial to the Knave of Hearts for stealing the Queen’s tarts. Alice protests against them and was ordered to be beheaded by the Queen. She grows back to her original size and knocks out the Queen’s army. She wakes up on her sister’s lap and shares her adventure. Wanderlust is a strong longing for or impulse toward wandering. It originated from the German word wander (to hike) and lust (desire). It is translated to “enjoyment of hiking” but it is commonly described as enjoyment of roaming about, strolling or wandering. Wanderlust, for me, is when you just want to travel different places, discover new things, meet new people and find or create yourself. We are free from school, work or anything that gives us stress. It is getting out of your comfort zone and just explore the beauty that the world offers. The closest wanderlust encounter for me was when my mom and I went to Baguio City last summer. Baguio City, the Summer Capital of the Philippines, is known for its cool weather, beautiful mountain view scenery, famous tourist destinations, zig-zag roads, tall pine trees and low-priced flowers, fruits and vegetables. My family and I had been going there for vacations. I have been familiarized with the different landmarks. This time around, my mom allowed me to explore the city by myself. I gladly agreed to it. Baguio is not that polluted so walking is an option there. Being the Dora-the-explorer that I am, I walked around the city. I was able to explore a university, the wet market and SM. I find the people who reside there friendly, especially the taxi drivers, they would share stories and tips about Baguio and they give back your change. Unlike, the taxi drivers in Manila, they seem grumpy and greedy. I was able to appreciate Baguio when I experienced how it is to be there. Not relying on my parents to drive me to places but it was all my hard work to ask people for the directions and to walk to my destination. In life, there are joyful days where we would thank God for blessing us and melancholic days where we just want to die to end our misery. But ending our lives will not solve anything, we just wasted our chance to see and enjoy the beauty of God’s creations. People who are depressed and lost would usually receive advice that they should take a break and go on a vacation. Travelling helps us to overcome sadness. It is full of uncertainties and surprises that we have to face. We will encounter people who may become significant in our life, learn their life stories that you think is impossible and witness breathtaking sceneries. Wanderlust will push us to be daring enough to interact with other people, to overcome our fears, to get lost in an unknown place, to try exotic dishes like worms and frogs, and to respect and accept the cultural differences. These may be simple concepts but it could actually change a person dramatically. It broadens our mind about the ways of life and changes our perspective on handling people and problems. We would usually lose sight of our priorities and important people in our lives. We might not do it on purpose but we unconsciously push and forget people away. We end up travelling to a new environment hoping for a fresh start. Getting lost in an unknown place, once in a while, is good. It lets us breathe from the suffocation that life brings. Discovering the new facilities that surround you and finding yourself along the way. It is a thrilling idea to discover what else you are capable of doing. Pushing ourselves to the limit to see how patient, determined and hard working we are to reach our destination. Travelling balances out our perspective in life. Through the newly gained knowledge, the unforgettable sceneries and the stories we have compiled, we will be able to reflect how we should be content and blessed with what we have, despite the hardships in life. Wanderlust helps us discover the unknown through our curious minds and urge to wander. Wanderlust may be different for everyone. It will differ on our point of views and culture. Wanderlust can be positive or negative. The positive side is that you get to meet new people, gain new experience and knowledge, and witness the beauty of the world. The negative side is that we are travelling to a new place there could be risk of security and people who may do harm to you. Despite the negative side, travelling is the only thing you buy that could make you richer. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring People may not always be lost when they travel. They sometimes chose to wander the place they had been put in a different perspective and purpose.
References:
"Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer." - Quotes Parade. (n.d.). Quotes Parade. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://www.quotesparade.com/travel-is-the-only-thing-you-buy-that-makes-you-richer/
Carroll, L. (1988). Alice in Wonderland. New York: H.N. Abrams.
Quotes About Wanderlust (35 quotes). (n.d.). Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/wanderlust
Wanderlust - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wanderlust
Wanderlust - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderlust

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References: "Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer." - Quotes Parade. (n.d.). Quotes Parade. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://www.quotesparade.com/travel-is-the-only-thing-you-buy-that-makes-you-richer/ Carroll, L. (1988). Alice in Wonderland. New York: H.N. Abrams. Quotes About Wanderlust (35 quotes). (n.d.). Share Book Recommendations With Your Friends, Join Book Clubs, Answer Trivia. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/wanderlust Wanderlust - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (n.d.). Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wanderlust Wanderlust - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved August 18, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanderlust APA formatting by BibMe.org.