The reason I have so much trouble not traveling is because I need to be learning at all times. It's a fine way to be since no matter how much I learn, I'll always have way more than actually possible on my to-learn list and I know how to keep this need-to-learn satisfied at all times, simply by living abroad.
Every moment of every day is filled with learning vocabulary in new languages, learning how to correctly and creatively put sentences together, learning how to better pronounce the sounds and pick up more of the native intonation, learning directions and how to get around in the new city/country, learning how to behave according to the culture I'm living in, learning new dances, sports and activities, learning to see from someone else's perspective, learning more about how the whole world works, learning how to make new foods, learning how to be creative, and the list goes on and on.
Being in the States for the past four months, I could've gotten bored out of my mind--not because the U.S. is a boring place, but simply because I've already spent more than 18 years in this country and the rate of learning here is much slower for me than it is when I'm in a new country. Four months was an unexpected amount of time for me to be here but I feel like I was able to make it pretty productive. In addition to getting to hang out in-person with some awesome people, I spent a lot of time taking four courses on Coursera.org and it was really a great experience (totally recommended to anyone who wants to learn for free!). I also found a whole bunch of books I wanted to read and came up with ideas for projects that I could start in the next year or so.
Of course, reading books, studying and imagining my future travel plans are not the same as actually going out into the world and doing. That kind of education cannot be replaced for me. For that reason, I can't feel entirely productive here but it was the best I could do and it was enough to keep my brain occupied.
Another great part of this trip was the little bit of moving around I got to do. Heading back and forth between Pennsylvania and New York a couple of times, I got to take the Greyhound and Megabus and I ended up meeting some really great people. On one of my trips, I met a mother and her daughter from India. The daughter was here studying abroad and her mom had come to visit. On another trip, I met an 18-year-old boy from Mexico who was backpacking through the U.S. on his own and I was really impressed by that. I certainly didn't have the balls to do that at age 18...or the brain to even come up with the idea. On my last trip here to New York, I met yet another 18ish-year-old Mexican boy studying abroad here and a beautiful girl, Nawal, from Syria, a medical student, who is now a good friend of mine.
It seems the next best thing to traveling is meeting travelers when I'm here, giving me the opportunity to be friendly to them just as everyone has been to me when I've been in other countries. It gives me the chance to reciprocate all the friendly smiles, the help with directions and communication, the creation of a warm, welcoming environment and the comfort and excitement of having a new friend to talk to. People have been amazing to me all over the world...much more so than I ever could've imagined based on what I grew up learning and hearing from the society around me.
Nawal and I talked pretty much the entire trip from Cleveland to New York and have been in touch since. I feel so lucky to meet such incredible people and it puts my heart at ease whenever a traveler in the U.S. tells me that they have been treated well by Americans (so far that has generally been the case). Anyone who reads this, whether you travel or not, continue being friendly to travelers. They're alone and happy to meet new, friendly people so they can share different perspectives, swap fun stories and make new friends. Life's an adventure for all of us and I want everyone's adventures to be as beautiful as mine have been!
No comments:
Post a Comment