Edinburgh vs. Dowry

So much happened during the year I was in Edinburgh. It was like living more than one life at a time. And I was healing.



My father and I made a Pact. He would foot the bill for me to go to Edinburgh for my post-graduate work and I gave up my Dowry.

Are you Surprised?

You see, my father did not really think that further education for me was necessary, but he did want me to get away from Hong Kong for a period of time. "To forget your Folly," he said. He thought going away for a long period was not necessary and too expensive. I insisted. Therefore, The Pact.
 
He said, "If you go to Edinburgh,  I will not be able to give you a dowry when you get married."
I said, "Fine, I don't need a dowry."

Edinburgh vs. Dowry. Edinburgh won.

In the end, I stayed more than one year in the British Isles - I spent the next year in London. From there, I had the opportunity to visit Europe. I didn't regret one bit of my decision. 

It may seem like that I was spending a lot money for - for What?
But no education is ever wasted. Although it did not provide me with instant benefits, it helped me throughout of my life. My Liberal education taught me How to Learn. 'How To Learn' stays with you all your life. And Travels taught me more than I could ever learn from books.

You can be shown how to do something a hundred times, but doing it once (for, me, may be five times) by yourself you really learn.
You can read about people and places in a hundred books, but being at that place once (even for a few days) will really make you understand the place and the people better.

So, parents and grandparents, the best gift you can give your children or grandchildren is to give them a Gift of Traveling (after they graduate from college, preferably). When the children are young, it may not cost as much for them to travel as you think - there is youth-hosteling, there is back-packing. When you are young you can sleep in a sleeping bag, on the floor, and rough it. 

You don't need cruises. 

You don't need "twelve countries in ten days" deals. 

You don't want them to be merely tourists. You want them to be travelers. Being tourists are for "Oldies" only.

In my days, many of my friends went hitch-hiking in Europe. I don't recommend it now. These days, it may not be a good idea to go hitch-hiking. But there are still many youth hostels around.
Sometimes, young people can work his or her way around while traveling. It can be done. 

My grand-daughter spent six weeks in Bali, after she graduated from Northeastern University. True, it was part of her study. Then, she and a friend, went youth-hosteling in what I call Indochina for five weeks. Before that, she had traveled to China twice and to several parts of South America. I did not even foot any of the bills. It certainly broadened her horizon.

So I did trade in my Dowry for Going Abroad. And I will do it again in a heartbeat.