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Main | Journal: U. S. A. | ||
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Farmington Hills, Michigan (I'm Still Here..) Friday, September 8 Betcha thought I forgot about ya, didn't you? Not true, though upon my
arrival to the States, I became a lazy, Sportscenter-watching,
unproductive, sleeping 'til noon, slob, according to my Mom anyway.
Funny how one so easily reverts to old habits when stimulated by one's
familiar haunts even after spending a significant time abroad engulfed
in a foreign culture, not yet fully destroyed by our Western ideas--or
maybe, my subconscious mind finally decided to adapt to the teachings
and habits of my laid-back Australian traveling colleague. Anyway, as
promised almost an eternity ago, I offer my final report on my
enlightening travails through South America, a continent that I hope to
have put forer to the fronts of your minds.
First off, my aims in harassing you with my stories over those six
months were three-fold (Sorry if this comes off like a mission
statement):
To use my friends and family as a first audience for my travel
stories in the hope of someday becoming published
To encourage my friends and family to someday retrace some of my
steps
Many people have asked me to pick a favorite country among Brazil,
Argentina, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. I usually hesitate a
little, then as if trying to choose amongst my children, I say that
they all are equally unique and special. Upon further reflection
however, I realize that for its mind-boggling variations in climatic
zones and geographies, its numerous alternatives in activities to
please just about any kind of tourist, and its warm and inviting
character created by its good-natured, free-spirited citizenry, Chile
is my pick as the first country to visit in South America. But let's
not forget the other kids either.
Along my way, I made some friends very different from my friends at
home; I lived with a family very different from my family at home; and,
I ate foods such as guinea pig and forty or so different kinds of corns
very different from those found at home. From those people and
experiences, I learned a few things about life and about the world that
I brought back with me and will not soon forget.
Many of those learnings relate to how U.S. citizens and their country
fit into the rest of the world. For instance, I found few Americans
traveling the way I was: for an extensive period of time, on a budget,
through most of the continent, and with a good knowledge of Spanish.
(By the way, knowing the language enhanced my trip by about 1000%.)
Many of the people sharing the gringo trail with me were from the
Commonwealth of her Majesty the Queen (United Kingdom, Australia, or
Canada)or from Western Europe. Our culture in the U.S. of: finish
school, find a job, get hitched, and collect Social Security is not
conducive for a twenty-something to take off and explore the world for
much more than a month or two in Europe--between college graduation and
day number one in the real world.
An older, American gentleman that I came across later in my trip
explained something to me that I'll never forget, saying that a dollar
to me now is worth about ten dollars to me when I reach his age. Since
I doubt that my body will allow me to travel so ruggedly when I reach
his age, I learned that it's important to try to see everything during
the process of aging, instead of working for an early retirement in the
hope of doing it all then.
During the course of my travels, I found myself thinking about the many
positives of living in the U.S. My adoptive family in Peru talked
about how their father has always dreamed of visiting my country
someday and of how the children were saving money in order that his
dream could come true. They were jealous of opportunities I have that
do not exist in their country. Of course, they were jealous of my
trip, and that I was getting to know their continent better than they
ever would.
Down there you can pay in U.S. currency; you can find restaurants named
after places in the U.S; you can often see Hollywood movies on most
movie channels; you can see people wearing Bulls jackets, caps, and
shirts. In some places, I was in disbelief in seeing how the North
American culture has so thoroughly penetrated its southern neighbor.
All in all, today I feel more fortunate to carry a U.S. passport with
the understanding of how people around the world would so covet it.
Having lived on the contents of my backpack for six months, I realize
how simple life can really be. In fact, since I returned I have not
really strayed from the few shirts and pants sitting at the top of the
pile of clothing on my bedroom floor. I really don't need so much more
of what just seems to add stress, not simplicity, to my life.
In closing, I'd like to thank all of you for keeping in touch, my
parents for being so supportive, and my former employer for being my
sponsor. As of this Sunday, I will be a resident of San Francisco,
California, assuming I can find a place to live there, and shortly
thereafter will begin working at eDental Corporation. I will pass on
my new address when and if I am successful in obtaining one.
Please keep in touch.
Danny
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