TITLE A TRAVELER’S SIXTH SENSE

I’ve taught in foreign villages, created friendships from continent to continent, and learned some of life’s most precious lessons while scattering pieces of my heart around the world. Throughout the time I’ve spent in 15 different countries, I’ve come to learn that travel let’s one acquire an outlook on life that embodies wisdom, perspective, and clarity: something I like to call a traveler’s sixth sense. The first component of the traveler’s sixth sense is feeling a natural sense of wisdom. I felt my first grasp of this wisdom when I was teaching Geography in Fiji. I began this new endeavor by nervously embracing the challenge, but once I saw the smiling faces of my students, everything fell into place. Their excitement to learn about the world calmed me. They simply opened themselves up to me and my teachings, with no hesitation. As a result, I learned something too. They showed me that when you give your heart to somewhere or something, and let the world do with it what it may, the world returns to you a sense of wisdom that you couldn’t have fathomed before. The second component is allowing yourself to value perspective. I began to see this on a journey of mine to Australia. There I learned that once you have seen the moon on the other side of the world, you’re capable of holding life with a new set of values. These values embrace what every traveler comes to accept

through their adventures: perspective. Perspective is the power that goes beyond seeing the movements and the motions, but instead, seeing everything as a whole and understanding which elements of life are worth embracing. The third component is finding clarity. For me, I never realized how much I needed clarity until I found it while exploring Prague. I came to realize that in situations where your heart is most torn, clarity is right in front of you. It’s that feeling in your chest that you dream of pursuing, but then deny yourself. It’s the butterflies, the adrenaline, and the heart strings all wrapped into one. Truly, clarity is when you allow your mind to turn off, and allow the fiery force burning in your heart to give you the push you need to make memories you will forever cherish. The traveler’s sixth sense is what lies in your heart once you’ve dedicated yourself to the love that lies around the world. Travel lets you see how small of a piece you are in this intricate puzzle of life, but it also shows you how big of a role you can have with your own happiness. Use that open mindset to bring light to all whose paths you cross, challenge yourself to be the one who pushes your own limits, and never forget to take the time to pause, and hold onto these moments that define the life you are so lucky to live.

BY: SOPHIA MAHACKEK BY: SOPHIA MAHACHEK SENSE