This week the third grade students in Junior High went on a school trip to Malaysia. For many students this is a very exciting and also very nervous time. For many of these students this is the first time to be in an airplane. It is the first time to have a passport. It is the first time to see another country. It is a new adventure, and a great chance to learn and see many things.

Otemae is a wonderful school that has programs to travel and see the world. For some people, traveling is only a time to go someplace and to have fun. But the truth is, traveling has many great benefits as well.

Let’s talk about some benefits of travel.

One: When you travel, you can experience a new environment.
Two: When you travel, you can challenge yourself to try new things.
Three: When you travel, you can learn to understand a different way of living.
Four: When you travel, you can become stronger and do things without help.
Five: When you travel, you can become more patient and kind to other people.
Six: When you travel, you can build up your stamina.
Seven: When you travel, you can have a more flexible mind
Eight: When you travel, you can learn new words and a new expressions.
Nine: When you travel, you can develop better communication skills.
Ten: When you travel, you can try new foods and drinks and snacks.
Eleven: When you travel, you can make new friends.
Twelve: When you travel, you can understand your own heart better.
Thirteen: When you travel, you can think about how to develop a new personal style.
Fourteen: When you travel, you understand our world better.

That is a lot of benefits!

The third year students who traveled to Malaysia will have many great chances to learn things, try things, and also to grow themselves. But you do not need to travel overseas to benefit from traveling. In Japan itself, there is a lot of diversity in your own country. The people of Hokkaido are different from the people in Tokyo. The people in Tokyo are different from the people in Okinawa. The people in Okinawa are different from the people in Shikoku. There is a great diversity of life, and style, and expression in Japan.

So, it is great idea for you to think about how to travel and to make some plan in the future to see more of the world.

But maybe you cannot travel so easily. Maybe you cannot go so far. You are busy. You must stay in your house.

There may be some other ways to travel that you do not need an airplane or a train ticket. Have you tried to listen to some different kinds of music? Have you tried some different kinds of food? Have you tried some different kinds of film, or YouTube videos, or books? Have you talked to someone who is very different than you?

These are also a kind of “travel”. If we leave our usual place, or not do our usual things, we can go to another place, we can go to another experience. This is also a way to grow our understanding. This is also a way to develop and challenge ourselves to grow.

The third grade junior high students of Otemae are really lucky. They are only 15 years old and can travel to another country. In my case, I did not travel on an airplane until I was 21 years old. But it is not important. The important thing is that if a chance to travel someplace comes to you, please take that chance. If a chance to try something new, eat something new, listen to something new, experience something new comes to you, please take that chance.

There are so many benefits to travel and to find new experiences. Please try the next adventure that comes to you.