My entry submission to the travel contest

Although I came in third for the contest, I still wholeheartedly believe in my entry submission.  So I post it here as another blog to file away with the others. Just 'cause I'm not about to take 8 trips to places around the world, doesn't mean the reflections of past and current experiences cease to exist.  Here's to truth-telling life experiences, now and always.
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By Melissa Robbins                      December 2, 2010
Travelers are like snowflakes, unique with a collective power that could change the world. An ardent travelphile, I’ve been fortunate to have breathed the air in many places. Though I have my Masters degree, it's not my 19 years of formal schooling that's taught me the most, but my adventures outside the classroom.

I’ve gone hang-gliding over Rio de Janeiro, paragliding in the Swiss Alps, lion-hunting in the Serengeti, and have lived in Spain, Italy, Brazil, and El Salvador. I believe true travelers seek out the local lifestyle by learning the spoken language and relentlessly immersing themselves in the unspoken rhythm that keeps the people and town running; they then carry those experiences with them in that uncomfortably-heavy-and-unforgiving travel backpack thereafter.

Zig-zagging around the globe is—let’s face it—not always as glamorous as it sounds. It is, however, a true representation of life at its core. In blogging my way through South America, I chose my words carefully to avoid publicizing that, in Brazil, I’d been held up at knifepoint. Physically, I escaped unscathed, but the memory of that 30-second-frozen-in-time moment has shaped my life. Not only did that teach me that I could run fast in flip-flops, but I was also forced to experience something that unfortunately plagues Brazilians daily in their quest to survive. I now see that travel blogging isn't merely reporting the smile-inducing adventures in a reader-friendly way; truly capturing the essence of a place also means painting a picture so vivid, readers can envision themselves living the blog.

I’m not going to try to “beat the system” to win this contest. I believe voters can recognize someone’s genuineness and innate desire to use all experiences—trials and tribulations alike—to make positive changes in the world, one step at a time. If you want a fictional, light-hearted-full-of-fluff-beach-read, don’t vote for me. If you wonder what makes other places tick, as lived by someone who blogs even when she doesn’t have her passport in hand (http://andsmilestogobeforeisleep.blogspot.com/), I’d be very grateful to receive your coveted vote.

Meanwhile, I'll be abiding by the ever-relevant Confucian philosophy: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”