My Journey

Haylee Hottenstine

Transcendentalism

• The transcendental movement was all about the pure goodness of man and nature. It means that man should not be affected by society and should be self-reliant. Important figures in history such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson were writers and believers in transcendentalism. Their writings pertained to nature and were strongly influenced by the movement.

Trip Plan• My plan to go about this trip is to first start in Spain. I really enjoy speaking the

language so my visit there should be pretty interesting. After setting out of Spain I’ll head towards Germany to discover my roots. After learning about some of my family’s history, I will travel to Italy which has always been a dream of mine, and then to my final destination: Greece.

Spain• “We should come home from far, from adventures, and perils, and discoveries

every day, with new experience and character.” ― Henry David Thoreau

• This quote relates to my desire of traveling to Spain because it would be an adventure, especially one that takes place far from home. Spain is full of culture and new things that I want to discover and learn from.

• I really want to travel to Spain because I have taken 5 years of Spanish. I would love to be in a setting where I can really experience the language as well as the culture because it’s very different than our own.

• Spain is often described as lively and merry which is appealing to me.

Germany• “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what

lies within us.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

• I like this quote because it relates to the primary reason that I want to travel to Germany. Because my family on both sides are German, I would love to learn more about it to understand my ancestors’ culture and where they came from.

• This trip would hold great meaning to me because I would get to learn about the culture that my family descended from. Also, the VonHottenstein’s (my family) have a big family reunion in Germany every few years and I would love to be able to experience that.

Italy • Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As

you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. ― Henry David Thoreau

• I chose this quote because it’s been a dream to travel to Italy and the quote is about going after what you want.

• I’ve always wanted to go to Italy because it looks like a really neat place to visit. I’d love to visit historical sites and experience real Italian cuisines because their food is delicious!

Greece • “Be curious, not judgmental.”

― Walt Whitman• This quote is important because when traveling to a new place, it is important to

remember that just because a culture is different than our own, we must not judge them. Being curious is a good thing, however, because then we expand our knowledge of other things.

• I’d love to go to Greece because I’ve done some research on it and there are some pretty cool sites to see. They also have beautiful beaches that would be cool to see.

Conclusion• “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.”

― Henry David Thoreau• What I plan on learning while going on this trip is the real meaning of

transcendentalism. I want to become one with nature like Chris McCandless and experience the languages and cultures of the different people I will meet while traveling through Europe. I want to discover new things and see what is outside of Green Bay. This trip would change me because it would open up my eyes to the world and see that there is more out there. I would have a better understanding of different types of people from all over.