Why I care about this

My experience with stereotypes and Orientalism

I can easily say that I am a well-traveled person--only at nineteen years-old. Yes, I have been to lots of countries and seen a whole bunch, but what did I take away from those experiences? 

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Recently I began to think about all of the trips and excursions I have been on and almost became struck with disappointment. I realized that I never really, truly immersed myself into a single one of those cultures. Sure, I had conversations with locals and went on daily adventures, but was it to learn more about the place I was in? No, it was not. It was about finding the perfect photo spot, eating the best food and in general, having the most amount of fun as possible. I saw these locations catering to my amusement when I should have realized they were welcoming me to their home. 

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I felt horrible. I wanted to travel to all of those places again and apologize for not learning and immersing myself more than I did. I did continuous research on places I had traveled to--Greece, Italy, England, Ireland, France to name a few--so that if I were to ever travel back there, I would be able to travel there with a purpose. I wasn't collecting a vibrant bouquet, but a rather boring group of similar flowers. 

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This feeling I had of regret and wanting to travel with more of a cultural understanding is exactly why I created One Petal At a Time. I want people to feel like this is a place where they can figure out if they have been viewing a destination merely on stereotypes and begin to change that mindset with the research and resources I have provided. 

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I am slowly beginning to collect that beautiful bouquet of unique flowers, and I hope you are ready to as well. 

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-Megan 

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