okawim travels►

One place that has always held a special candle in my heart that no other place (save for maybe, Japan) can illuminate as strongly as, is England. Yes, I'm talking about the used to be country that America gained its independence from that drinks too much tea and gave birth to Harry Potter. Yes. The Harry Potter. I have always been enraptured by its beauty, its size (very small), the stark contrasts between the green, rolling hill countryside and the gray, smoky cities, and its history.

The area of land that we call England has been settled by people for about 35,000 years. In 927 AD, or BCE (whichever one floats your boat), England officially became a unified state and ever since the 1400's (around the Renaissance time), it started having a pretty big impact on the rest of the world--politically, economically, culturally, and socially.

England has had a long, long, long history of kings and was very strictly a monarchy for the longest time. It wasn't until recently that England became a constitutional monarchy, so that the royal family was merely a cultural symbol head.

The largest city in England is its capital: London. Some interesting things to see in London (besides watching the rain) are the London Skyline, Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Westminster, and the Royal College of Music.

Another great thing to do (if you're a huge dork, like myself) is to go and take the Harry Potter tour. Basically what you would do is go to places like King Cross Station and where they shot some Harry Potter scenes.

Very exciting stuff, I know.

So, if you're ever in England, be sure to take lots of pictures and buy me a souvenir.

You might think me strange, but sometimes I get really sad thinking about countries, oceans, and all the different languages in our world. There are times when I just don't understand why there is so much that separates us from teenagers in Korea, India, Germany, or any other country. I mean, we are all people, so why can't we know one another? Or understand one another? Is the world a cruel trick that purposely creates ways for citizens of the world to misunderstand each other? Why did God make the world this way? Was this his intention?

I don't have answers to any of the questions I asked, but I do have thoughts. Lots of them.

I'm half-Japanese/half-Caucasian, meaning that my dad is a tall white and my mom is a cute little Jap. This is all fine and dandy until I think about what I'll be missing out on for a lot of my life--half of my family. I don't like to think about this, but it's inevitable when your mother's whole family lives half-way across the world.

Am I missing out on a lot? Of course I am. As cool as it is to have family living in Japan, I know that I'm missing out on the chance to get to know this whole group of people. And I mean really get to know them, not the occasional phone call and the once-in-every-three-years visit. I wonder how close we would be if it weren't for that pesky large body of water (an ocean...I think it's called), a few countries (minor setbacks), and oh yeah--the fact that we don't exactly speak the same language. Well, I mean I can speak Japanese and they can speak some English, but it's not the same.

Maybe I'm being...dramatic or something, but in my mind, the way to world peace is understanding. The way to understanding is communication. The way to communication is...well...talking.

It's true that we can't go back to a world with just the landmass of Pangea and that we have to live with the fact that the tectonic plates have pushed us apart from one another. I guess we'll just have to learn to deal.

It must be a side effect of being in Key Club, but lately my thoughts have all centered on community service, helping others, and living by the Golden Rule of society. Well, not all of my thoughts, but most--I mean, last night I had a dream that I was laying the ground work for a new Key Club community service project.

But, all weirdness aside; let me get to the point. My point is that helping others and caring about people in faraway nations is the first step to bringing the 170 or so countries in this world a little closer together.

Now, I know that my topic is traveling and I haven't been very faithful to this topic, but I have to veer slightly away from that topic to talk about something that affects us all--every person in this world.

Caring about others is the first step to bringing peace to this world. Community service is just the next step. Volunteering for others--whether it be to walk your elderly neighbor to the store, to participate in an AIDs Run, or raising awareness about the situation in Darfur--will pay off even if you can't see the results immediately.

My goal in life is to help as many people as I can, to touch as many lives as possible. I know that I can't accomplish this on my own--I mean, God, I'm only one person.

How can I make a difference?

You might think the same thing every once in a while. The answer is very simple--by being there for your fellow citizens of the world. If everybody cared about each other and looked out for one another, can't you imagine what a better world we'd be living in?

I know what I can do.

Do you?