I fully understand that it is expensive to travel. I am not currently in a position to be able to afford more than a very short road trip - about one day is my financial limit. From what I can tell, about 46 percent of all American citizens have a passport. An American cannot travel to Canada with out a passport, at least not fly into Canada.
America is considered the most powerful and wealthiest country on the planet and yet a full 54 percent of its citizens cannot currently visit another country. Even worse that that, it looks like only 25 percent of Americans can speak a language other than English. Both of these statistics are bad for a number of reasons.
Travel can allow a person to see the world through different eyes. Someone can see that there are different ways to do things. A different way to prepare a meal. A different way to consume a meal. A different way to ride public transit. A different way to handle healthcare or parental leave. Face it, if the only measuring stick you have is the one you have had your whole life, you're not likely to see change as a positive. Same with language. If you have never learned a second language, you have no idea how difficult it can be for people who move to the US from a non-English speaking country.
I majored in French. All through high school, I aced my French classes - all As. I studied French all the time. I continued that academic success in college. The real test was going to be going to Paris for a semester. Emotionally, I wasn't ready for that adventure, but that is a story for another time. For now, let's focus on language and my shiny grades.
Those grades helped, but I was exhausted during my six weeks in Paris. I spent tons of energy trying to determine if I was using the proper conjugation of verbs. Answering the phone was a nightmare. I never touched the phone, because I had no visual cues to help guide me through the conversation.
Also, I was now living just outside one of the most famous cities in the world, trying to navigate public transit for the first time in my life (note to parents, please help your child learn how to figure out buses or subways, if possible). I didn't have my bedroom, my bed, my regular food. Nothing was the same. I chose to be in Paris, but I was homesick.
The summer after my trip to Paris, I studied in Quebec City. Emotionally, I was better prepared. The language still caused me headaches. The Quebec accent is vastly different than the Parisian accent, so I didn't understand my professor for about two weeks. This program had a strict "pas d'anglais" (no English) policy. However, when my classmates and I left campus, we spoke English. Why? Once again, speaking a language that is not your native tongue is exhausting at first.
I have friends who have lived for a few years in other countries. They craved to speak English and to eat American food. Why? Because those things are familiar and we miss home when we are not there.
Since 2002, I have lived in Canada, just across the river from my hometown area of Detroit. For most of that time, I worked in the US, so I traveled home on a daily basis. Just the same, I miss living in the States. I miss familiar places and being physically close to my dearest friends. I still celebrate Thanksgiving in November (along with the Canadian one in October). I don't drink double-doubles or iced caps from Tim Horton's. I still say 'z' and not zed. I would rather gauge out my own eyes than become a Maple Leafs fan and forsake the Red Wings. But, here I am. I love the healthcare system that saved my life and didn't drive me into bankruptcy. I'm not afraid of new places and I think the same can be said of the large majority of people who voluntarily leave their nations of origin. It's hard work and I hope that most Americans can recognize that before my home truly becomes Fortress America
