i want to travel.

I know I have been to some really amazing places around the globe. I've started traveling at the age of six. Or was it five? I remember vaguely that my mother took me to Hong Kong for my 6th (7th?) birthday. My first airplane ride. My first hotel experience (I'm not so sure if I've had previous hotel experiences in the country before HK). My first encounter (that I can actually remember) with foreigners. My first need to speak in a foreign language, Chinese. (I went to a Chinese school then so I could speak Chinese just fine with the taxi drivers and people at the restaurant -- very basic stuff because my mom mispronounced words. Haha!)

Then I would go back and forth from Manila to Honolulu to have short summer vacations with dear father. :) It was nothing to me then (what with being a kid and all), but now it seems like bittersweet memories: having set foot (for stop-overs) on Guam, South Korea, Japan. But of course I could only stay inside the airports and shop for various souveneirs.

And from Honolulu, we'd make it out to Los Angeles or Las Vegas once in a while.

And back in late 2006, I was blessed to have been chosen to be the representative to study in Paris, France. (Another stop-over at a city in Amsterdam.)

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I should be feeling extremely grateful because I'm quite positive that more than half of the world's population probably haven't had the chance to go beyond their home country's borders. I know I have been EXTREMELY BLESSED.

But as insatiable of a human as I am, I feel so envious of others who have the capability to travel to places I could only dream of doing. Maybe it's in the way their photos turn out to be so attractive and appealing. Maybe it's in my desire to set foot onto as much countries I possibly can in my lifetime. Whatever it is, one thing remains true: my dream is to travel the farthest and deepest depths of the world.

I'm quite sure a billion others share the same dream.

I marvel at those who can make their dreams come true. Or perhaps, have the proper "sponsors" make their dreams come true for them. Unfortunately, it all boils down to lacking sufficient funds to be able to get to places and make dreams (not just traveling, really) come true.

Sometimes I hate how money matters so much.

Then again, maybe I can search for a job that'll enable me to set foot in places I've only dreamed of. But that's another story in itself.

I am truly grateful that God has allowed me to experience riding airplanes, rushing through airports, interacting with foreigners, seeing amazing places.

It just seems much harder to shake this feeling of dissatisfaction and envy off.

Does that make me selfish? =/