Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a great adventure, or nothing”. Before the age of twelve, I had never ventured far from my hometown. I definitely had never done anything remotely worthy enough to be deemed as a “great adventure”. At this point, I was afraid to leave my little bubble or stray away from my usual routine. This all changed when my aunt took me to Chicago, and I overcame my fear of venturing out of my comfort zone.
As Chicago first came into view, and I saw the city skyline, I was overwhelmed with an immense feeling of eagerness. The first thing we did was drive through downtown. As if it were just yesterday, I can still clearly remember the crisp Chicago air, and the smell of the city. The first time I stepped outside of the car, I immediately looked up. Everywhere, surrounding me, stood beautiful, vast skyscrapers. Being from a small town, I had never seen a building above seven or eight floors, and I was overwhelmed. In an exhilarated hysteria, I gawked at the concrete giants in awe. Still mesmerized by the vibe of the city, I barely remember checking into our hotel. What I do remember, is the view. I stood at our hotel window and admired the city for at least an hour. Soon, we were settled in and ready to go out and explore the city.
                     Within a day, I had gone from a small, desolate town, to a bustling city, never seeming to slow down. Contrary to Olney, Chicago is constantly going. In every direction, different things were happening. We explored the city, and every turn we took opened a new door. At one time, my uncle and I were so ahead of our family that we went inside a store on our own. It ended up being a gypsy bar. Here I was, a twelve year old girl from Olney, Illinois, getting my palm read by a gypsy in downtown Chicago. It was absolutely surreal. On top of that, I even got to experience my first Chicago-style pizza, in all of its grandeur and glory. Everywhere I went, there were different smells and sights, and I was adoring every moment of it.
                     Throughout my whole visit, the city was full of so many different people and cultures. There were cab drivers, street performers, food vendors-everywhere you looked. Even the doorman at our hotel was friendly, and I learned about his two daughters and love for skiing. That was the best part, the fact that everyone was so diverse and from different backgrounds. Of all the people, almost zero were wearing camouflage clothing - a huge relief after seeing camouflage everyday of my life for almost twelve years. In small towns, everyone knows everyone, which is not always the best thing. There is absolutely no room to be creative or different, without facing the risk of being judged. In Chicago, though, everyone is different and happy to be different. There were so many dissimilar people, which was relatively new to me. The whole trip opened my eyes to so many different cultures and experiences.
                     Before this trip, I was terrified. I was so afraid I would not enjoy life outside of Olney, but that was not the case at all. I was amazed to see the world outside of my own life, and how exciting it was. From breaking out of my comfort zone, I realized life is too short to be spent in one place. You should live life to the fullest, and experience new things as much as possible. New experiences mean happiness, and without happiness what’s the point of life? As Andre Gide once said, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore”.