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Coming to America (take 2)
Entry 14 of 14 | show all | print this entry |
"The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land." - G. K. Chesterton
Wow, I was wholly unsatisfied with the way I left these last two posts. They clearly didn't sum up my experience, and I felt a bit of pressure to put something up in a timely manner. To be honest, I was lacking three things which to me are essential to a good post: energy, time to reflect, and inspiration. In California for some reason, whether it was recovering from a long flight or being unconsciously depressed to be finished with the trip, I was in such a state of unnatural and overwhelming lethargy that I just wanted to post something so I could go back to lying down and napping. Now that I'm back at home, I feel at least energetic enough to give this post some serious thought and effort, and I was able to reflect pretty well on the trip while flying back to PHL. In addition, I was in need of some good inspiration and, after starting a new book, I think I've found it. So, with your permission, dear readers, I'll give this last post another go and hopefully it will meet or exceed the caliber that you've (hopefully?) come to expect from this blog.
I'm back on American soil, and it feels good to be in familiar settings. I must admit, though, that I'm still getting used to seeing cars on the right side of the road. In Oz, NZ, and Fiji, it's not that they're driving on the wrong side of the road, it's just that they're not driving on the right side of the road (feel free to admit my pure comic genius). I find myself doing many of the same habits that I picked up on the road, for better or worse, and I suppose that in time I will acclimate myself to staying in one place. I also wonder if I've spoiled myself by traveling alone for so long - I've gotten so used to not having to compromise that I wonder what type of travel companion I might be in the future. It has been quite a trip, and sometimes reminiscing about places like New Zealand and Tahiti makes me feel like I haven't been there in years.
When I think about the way I want to live my life and the way I'd like to be remembered some day, I realize that I find little pride in the things I'd done up until about a year ago. Yeah, it's an accomplishment to graduate college and be able to work for a reputable accounting firm, but those types of things don't cause me to well up with pride or anything of the sort. I've consciously kept my bedroom walls clear of any certificates or records of academic and professional achievement because those things aren't what I want to be recognized and known for. Rather, it's the experiences away from home, where I attend the school of life and experience the world through my own senses, that I consider true achievements. The only thing I want people to know about me is that I was able to face adventure head-on and come home to tell about it.
When I read my pre-flight entry recently, it reminded me of the way I felt before leaving - worrrying about being alone, worrying about finances, wanting a more adventurous and interesting lifestyle, and wanting to be part of the backpacker culture, among other things. What I found on the road was, at different times, the best, worst, fastest, slowest, most uncertain, and most interesting times in my life. I found myself fighting loneliness in the big cities, finding peace and serenity in the national parks, enjoying the camaraderie and company of other backpackers in small towns, trusting strangers, and hating the fact that most conversations started out with "Where are you from?" and "How long have you been in ...", among other things. But through it all, I made it... and I made it by myself. Not that traveling solo is necessarily the only way to go, but going any way other than solo will provide a completely different experience. I've come to rely on myself - my instincts, judgment, and feelings - and I feel more comfortable with myself than at any time prior to the trip. Of course I do, at times I've had to reason with myself, challenge myself, comfort myself, push myself, and most importantly, listen to myself.
One great thing about traveling solo is the fact that there aren't many outside influences to sway you in any direction. At home, people face all types of outside influence, whether from family, friends, or colleagues. Of course, some of these people are very positive influences, but they are influences nonetheless. On the road, it's all about you and what you think, and the icing on the cake is that most, if not all, of the administrative affairs of life such as insurance, financial planning, and bills are so far from your mind that you're actually able to focus your entire attention on the topics of your choice. This provides you with the clarity and attention to take on such important mental debates as identifying other lifelong goals, figuring out how to finance other long-term trips, and redefining the things that make you happy.
Now that I'm back, I wonder whether these positive changes will last for the long haul or fade out as a transient phase brought on by necessity from traveling alone. You'll have to judge for yourselves, but I feel more brave, courageous, adventurous, humbly confident, and comfortable with myself. I hope to continue to hear myself and remember the important things in life amid the tumult of daily living in the real world.
Finally (and especially after this revision), I hope this blog was everything I'd hoped it to be - informative, comical, and enjoyable - and that you've had a good time reading about the joys and frustrations of independent travel. I should recognize my favorite Travel Channel show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations as an inspiration for this blog. If you've ever planned or hoped to travel I hope that you will think very hard about how to do it in the near future - whether it be in a few months or a few years. I've rarely seen senior citizens that looked really happy when traveling, so I think the American notion of waiting until retirement to travel is not an ideal one. So if you're serious about it, keep the dream alive, work toward it, and I'll see you on the road one day...
Appendix A
And now, a collection of cultural differences, language differences, and general things unknown before the trip:
Fijians were cannibals until sometime in the 1700s.
In America, fanny = rear end. In Australia, fanny = woman's reproductive organ. If an American movie has a sentence similar to "Did you fall on your fanny?," an entire movie theater of Australians will erupt in laughter.
In America (particularly in NJ), place to buy alcohol = liquor store or spirit shop. In Australia, place to buy alcohol = bottle shop. There are drive-thru bottle shops in Australia, where you pull in, someone walks up to your car window and takes your order, then returns with the booze and collects payment. How great is that?
In Australia, there are three time zones but they are not split up in exact hourly increments. If it's 3:00pm in Sydney, it's 2:30pm in Adelaide, and it's 1:00pm in Perth.
Australia and New Zealand are still British dominions. They both believe they will become sovereign republics one day, but no one anticipates that it'll happen very soon. Fiji was formerly a British colony but was granted independence in 1970. It just makes you wonder, How powerful was the British empire to have explored the entire globe and established colonies in America, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, among other places?
Australia and New Zealand are both very aware of the environment. This is what it's like to be in a country that actually follows the guidelines of the Kyoto protocol:
-Many houses use solar-powered hot water systems and some are moving toward more solar power.
-The toilets have two buttons: a half-flush button for #1's and a full-flush button for #2's.
-Many houses in suburban and rural areas use rain barrels to collect guttered rainwater for every home use except drinking.
-The Australian state governments have a draught severity chart and regularly encourage people to save water based on the severity of the draught. For example, in a severe draught the government will encourage people to limit showers to 4 minutes.
The Chevy El Camino was a short-lived car model in the 70's or 80's, which featured a car-like front with a pickup truck-style bed in the back. This concept didn't do very well in America, but the concept is alive and well today in Australia and New Zealand.
Holden is the one and only Australian car company. It was originally independently owned but is now a subsidiary of GM.
People in China and Taiwan don't eat out of the iconic white Chinese takeout box. I met a Taiwanese guy who had seen these boxes in movies all his life, and he had his first experience eating out of one in Australia at the age of 27.
Some Americans, knowing that America isn't well-liked in the world, say they're from Canada to avoid being hassled. Canadians typically sew the Canadian flag on their backpacks, and Americans who pose as Canadians also sew the Canadian flag on their bags.
Many Europeans would rather travel to Canada than America, and many don't have any desire to come to America at all.
In America, many people (guys and girls) will wear their pants fairly low, allowing their underwear to show (not that I'm trying to look or anything). In Australia, many people (guys and girls) will wear their pants and their underwear fairly low, allowing the top of their crack to show (not that I was trying to look or anything).
There was a Simpsons episode a long time ago where Bart called a boy in Australia to find out if the toilets flush the opposite way, but in real life the toilets in Oz/NZ don't flush in a circular fashion. The water comes from the front towards the back. However, you can see from a draining sink that the water mostly flows in a clockwise direction.
Appendix B
Time magazine regularly publishes a list of facts and figures in a certain format, and I will attempt to replicate that format for this section.
121 - length of time spent abroad on this trip, measured in days
3 - average number of days needed to eat an entire loaf of bread
8 - number of national parks visited in New Zealand - Tongariro NP, Abel Tasman NP, Nelson Lakes NP, Paparoa NP, Westland NP, Mt. Aspiring NP, Fiordland NP, Aoraki Mt. Cook NP
14 - number of airports visited on this trip - PHL, HOU, LAX, PPT, AKL, CHC, SYD, HBA, MEL, ASP, DRW, CNS, BNE, NAN. On the way home from CA, I will also visit FAT and PHX which would make the grand total 16.
8 - number of strangers' cars that I rode in
1 - number of hitchhikers I picked up in my car
49 - number of hours I spent on a bus in NZ, covering a period of 6 weeks
49 - number of hours I spent on a bus in WA (Western Australia), covering a period of 3.5 weeks
912 - number of miles driven in two days from Alice Springs to Adelaide
3 - number of couchsurfers I stayed with overnight
7.5 - number of books read on the trip. I never seem to be able to finish a trip and a book at the same time.
3 - number of times I watched the movie The Bourne Ultimatum - once voluntarily on a plane, twice involuntarily - in a hostel and on a bus
3 - number of countries visited on this trip that use the term "dollar" for their currency - Oz, NZ, Fiji
3 - number of countries visited on this trip that use the UK flag in their own flag - Oz, NZ, Fiji
10 - number of weeks until I leave the country again
1 - number of times I nearly left my passport behind
167 - body weight right before leaving for Costa Rica measured in pounds
155 - body weight right after returning from Costa Rica measured in pounds
162 - body weight right before leaving for S. Pacific trip measured in pounds
147 - body weight in Fiji at the end of the trip measured in pounds
3 - number of times I considered suspending all future travel plans to spend more time with a girl
2 - number of pairs of underwear I had at the beginning of trip
1 - number of pairs of underwear I have at the end of trip. I won't reveal publicly at what point I left that second pair behind.
Where I stayed:
My sister's house
Latest Comments (3)
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Journalist Joe (reply)
Jun 18, 2008 09:52 EST by krupocin
Joe, I think you should be a journalist too, but not one who writes, everyone is expecting that. You should be a photo journalist who uses pictures of local mongloids to tell his story...no one will see that coming.
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BTW (reply)
Jun 17, 2008 01:51 EST by mtdj1
By the way, I forgot to say in my last comment:
You leave the country in 10 weeks? Where are you going? And you said that 'if you got a positive response to this blog' you'd consider posting another blog? Hell, Joe - please post another blog! You are a truly talented writer - and inquiring minds want to read your blog - so please write another one.
Again, best to you...
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What a great blog... (reply)
Jun 17, 2008 01:47 EST by mtdj1
Hey Joe - I think you should seriously consider being a journalist or writer. You are really good...maybe a travel writer?
Best to you -
Mary
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