(Note: This post was written many moons ago. Re-discovered and published at the nearing end of my Fulbright year abroad in Jordan, August 2012.)
I've dreamed of traveling since I first learned of the real possibility in high school. Many of my classmates had lived in another country for most of their childhood. Most of them knew more than one language fluently, which I saw as profoundly exotic. China, Japan, Thailand, France, Russia, India, Bangladesh...the list went on. As an American, I felt uneducated and perpetually stuck in a world defined by its fastfood restaurant chains and culture of no culture. People are more pre-occupied with their jobs than maintaining a life rich in tradition and family. Of course, this viewpoint romanticizes a foreign lifestyle, and what people often fail to realize is the tremendous amount of privileges we have in this country, and the swells of kind people that live in our midst.
I've dreamed of traveling since I first learned of the real possibility in high school. Many of my classmates had lived in another country for most of their childhood. Most of them knew more than one language fluently, which I saw as profoundly exotic. China, Japan, Thailand, France, Russia, India, Bangladesh...the list went on. As an American, I felt uneducated and perpetually stuck in a world defined by its fastfood restaurant chains and culture of no culture. People are more pre-occupied with their jobs than maintaining a life rich in tradition and family. Of course, this viewpoint romanticizes a foreign lifestyle, and what people often fail to realize is the tremendous amount of privileges we have in this country, and the swells of kind people that live in our midst.
Traveling across the country by bicycle changed my views on America for the better. I was able to see a nation rich in culture and tradition, as well as natural beauty. People welcomed us into their communities and homes with open arms and giving hands. Most towns we spent our nights in were bordering on destitute, with little more than a grocery store and a grade school. However, their spirits were high and so were their hopes. They saw the good in others and had the simple, yet beautiful desire to make things better for their families and themselves.
~~~
I think our country has gotten a lot of things wrong in the past and in the present: some Americans believe that we are a nation unto ourselves and that we owe the world nothing except our competitive edge to tower over others and rise to the top. However, I feel that if we all look very closely, it doesn't matter if you travel to Paonia, Colorado or Korphe, Pakistan- people are struggling for the same basic rights that allow dignity of the human spirit: education, access to health care and a healthy lifestyle, freedom of Religion and freedom of Thought.
In Greg Mortenson's new book, Stones into Schools, he refers back to his previous book, Three Cups of Tea, and the belief that one cup of tea means you are a stranger, two cups means you are a friend, and three cups means you are family. What would happen if we took the time to travel to communities throughout the country and throughout the world, sit down with a family, and share a cup of tea? Where would a conversation begin and where would it take us? What similarities would connect the concerns and desires of a family in the US and a family in Central Asia or Africa?
I bring this up because I find myself, along with many other young individuals (yes, I consider myself young and still a bit naive), grappling with the notion of purpose and my place in this life. There's always a struggle between the concept of formal education and the education provided by life experience. I've always been one to learn from experience- my perserverance shines through more often when I'm climbing a mountain than when I'm writing a research paper.
I've found myself experiencing a particularly strong desire to travel lately, and to do something for people who need it most. But what to do, exactly? Where does one start? Do you teach english abroad? Do you offer your services as a community health worker? Do you plop yourself down in an unknown country and expect to learn as you go?
What is the best way of giving as much of yourself as possible?
I may not be cycling across the country this coming summer, but that doesn't mean I will be sitting at home twiddling my thumbs...
