Why I decided to participate in the program.
So, why did I decide to participate in the program? I would like to answer this question by talking about why one should travel, as the Work and Travel program consists of two components: work and travel!
One of the most wonderful things a person can do is travel. Travel provides an opportunity to find adventure, satisfies the sense of beauty, and gives a person a sense of control over their environment. Understanding another person's point of view is also useful. Thanks to this, a traveler can gain access to a multitude of different worlds.
Adventure is a byproduct of travel, and adventure prevents aging. The mind remains fresh and healthy as long as there is something to look forward to. Thanks to adventure, a creative spirit bubbles within us. They provide the variety and movement we need to avoid becoming stagnant.
Nowadays, many of us use television or movies to pass the time when we are bored. Many of us do not participate in real adventures. Adventures can be more exciting than watching TV, which is a pathetic substitute.
One of the main motives for travel is the search for beauty. Beautiful tourist spots often attract large crowds of tourists. It is impossible not to be inspired by the beauty of certain places after visiting them during a trip.
People communicate while traveling. A person interacts with many people from different cultures and regions, which promotes deep mutual understanding between them. A person with extensive travel experience is more mature and more likely to be able to appreciate the opposite point of view with greater understanding and open-mindedness. After a long trip, a person feels significantly better when they arrive home. Upon returning home, a person begins to enjoy all the comforts, which prevents them from taking anything for granted. Travel makes a person more grounded and realistic because it allows them to stay in touch with reality. The best way to get to know world culture is through travel.
I was very lucky that last year I had the opportunity to visit Greece and Italy. Exploring these two stunning countries, I discovered a lot for myself. I learned that there was a brothel in Pompeii, that the name "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word "gymnós," and that the Romans once used the Colosseum's reservoir for naval battles. But it wasn't the guided tour that gave me memories I will cherish for the rest of my days.
- Expands consciousness
Travel broadens horizons because you start observing how other people live, whose lifestyles differ from your own. We get so used to doing things a certain way that we think it's the only way to do things, and that everyone who does things differently is inferior. Travel changes this perception. Travel makes you vulnerable to all kinds of changes, from significant ones like changing religious rituals to minor ones like ordering food.
These changes can cause frustration. For example, when you ask for water in Italy, you will almost certainly be brought bottled water and charged for it. Before accepting an order for gelato, you will have to pay. You adapt these changes to your daily activities. You realize that it is okay if someone does something differently than you. Maybe this child doesn't behave like you, doesn't speak like you. Visiting makes you realize that this is normal because there are other human beings in the world who might consider your way of doing things "strange."
- You will get to know unusual cultures
The most pleasant part of traveling is getting to know unique cultures. New food, a new melody, a new language - all of this is so different from ours. One of the features of Roman subculture that I discovered was that they air-dry their clothes. In Kazakhstan, this might seem troublesome to us because we like to do everything quickly. But Italians pay for a lifestyle. Neither right nor wrong. Another exciting factor was how superstitious Italians are.
Our tour guide gave us a lesson on how not to make gestures because Italians would perceive it as you casting the "evil eye" on them. In some places in Greece, earrings and jewelry against the evil spirit were sold. In Kazakhstan, we are not that superstitious, so it was surprising to observe this. Trying unusual food was also wonderful. In our country, we feel like we are familiar with all special types of food because it is very easy to find a Japanese, Italian, Chinese, or Georgian restaurant. However, these dishes are completely unique when made in their native places. A real Greek gyro has a completely different sauce than the yogurt sauce used here, and gelato made in Kazakhstan tastes like icy milk.
- You will be able to see new landscapes
One of the most remarkable elements of traveling to Europe is how different everything looks around. Cobblestone streets, narrow roads, tiny apartment buildings - all this is so different from what we have here in Kazakhstan. Especially in Almaty, where the roads are long and huge, it was simply fantastic to see streets that only one car can pass through. The cars themselves were much smaller. In our homeland, it is quite common to see huge SUVs or minivans... in Europe, there is nothing like that. For us, when we think of a metropolis, we imagine something like boiling life, huge skyscrapers, and glass houses. That is exactly how I expected to see Europe when I first went there. Rome and Athens were nothing like that. There wasn't a single skyscraper here, and most of the houses were unusually ancient. Our guide took us to one house in Athens where a man, while remodeling his basement, found a large pot that is over 2,000 years old.
The mountains were even more beautiful. Being from Almaty, I have seen the best mountains in my life. Having been to Delphi, a city in the mountains of Greece, it took my breath away. It seemed that the mountains and valleys continued all the time. They made the 4-hour bus rides more exciting.
- How lucky you are to live in Kazakhstan
If there is one thing I can never forget from this trip, it is what the guide told us. On the last day of our stay in Rome, saying goodbye to us, she began to talk about how important it is to travel and how she hopes this trip has awakened in us a desire to explore the world more. At the end of her farewell, she said: "Even if you decide that you absolutely do not need to travel again... do not forget what you have seen, being born in Kazakhstan, a country of hospitality and kind people. If you work hard, you will succeed. Never forget that." This just hooked me and made me realize how lucky I am. How lucky I am to live in a multinational country that rewards hard work and innovation and encourages people to win.
Traveling is a wonderful pastime. I learned a lot in the four European countries I visited, and I will continue to analyze more and more as I explore the arena. Visiting does not necessarily mean traveling around the world, but you can learn a lot just by taking a tour to any other corner of Kazakhstan. The way people live in Europe can be very peculiar and interesting compared to how they live here in Asia. Even getting to know the unique auls of our vast homeland will open your eyes to unique cultures. As Ibn Battuta once said, "Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller."