Landing in JFK was a bit of a surreal feeling. My travels ended up being about seven months at least internationally. I am still not quite ready to make it back home. There is still have some fun to be had. I am not sure it has fully hit me yet. JFK was just another airport and flying into it wasn't anything too exciting. It was so cloudy you couldn't see he city flying in and there hasn't really been anything distinctly American I have encountered yet.
I am occasionally faced with the question of what have I have learned on this trip. I think because I went partially on this trip under the guise of needing to find myself or at least wanting to learn new things. I am sure the lessons are there. Hidden amongst experiences and people and places. Here's a somewhat random list:
I have learned to hale a cab and negotiate a price. How to sleep under almost any conditions. I have learned how to take control and how to let others take control. You don't have to fight all of your battles. If someone else wants to champion your cause let them sometimes. I have seen acts of compassion and seen examples of acts of cruelty and hatred through historical contexts. I have seen some of the wonders of the world. I think some of them are places but most of them are places and experiences. I have learned to live with nothing but what is on your back. I have learned how to survive bus rides I never thought would end and have learned to enjoy them. Whether it be the people I meet the solitude you can experience despite being packed into a small area with others or the ability to just laugh at a situation the would otherwise cause discomfort or concern. I have learned that you usually find things when you aren't looking for them. That people are good.... Everywhere. That's kids carry a light no matter what their circumstances or living standards. That it is worth not caring what others think sometimes and to just having fun. That tuk tuk drivers In Cambodia and almost everywhere offer a lot more than just a ride. That not all stories are meant to make it home to the family. That I was born into great privilege. White and speaking English is a good place to be in a lot of the world. It affords opportunities others may never hope to have. It's better to not be able to see the driving when you are on a bus. Just trust they've done it before. Physical fitness ebbs and flows but it will never dictate wether I get the ice cream or fruit shake. I am going to get them. People from the rest of the world know more about the political climate of our country then most of the people on our country do. That wipes sometimes feel like a waste of time to carry until you need them. People value different things. That's true of travelers and locals and everyone. Traveling can be so fulfilling and so lonely at the same time. Wifi is a blessing and a curse. Asians have perfected the use of motorbikes. I have seen them used for mass transportation to pull trailers to cart objects that are far to large for them. It's worth it to take the road less traveled sometimes. Sometimes it's fun to party on the path with everyone else. Sometimes when you aren't looking for things is when you find them. Places are incidental to a good vacation people are requisite. Street food is almost always better than the food you get from a sit down restaurant especially if you try to get western food. They make one food all day everyday. They are good at it. Hospitality of Thai people rivals that of anyone in the world. I experienced this first hand and feel like I could never really repay the kindness I have been shown. Smiling is infectious. I learned that through the kids. Roller bags may have their place but it's not traveling through Asia. Good luck towing that across a dirt road or any road in Asia for that matter. Police and many people of power are not above bribery. I had a few example of this. Temples are all sacred but are not all created equal. Beauty is everywhere. Happiness is not contingent upon a salary or possessions. When your livelihood is threatened you can get pretty creative to protect it. This is evident in the state of some of the transport they continue to use. Cleanliness is relative. So is expense. I leave things everywhere. A lot of the countries of the world knows how to travel. They have jobs that allow for it and have it within their culture. You don't have to leave your country to travel. I say that tongue in cheek. Food is better when you eat with the locals. Sometimes comfort food like McDonald's is what is called for. Ice cream is a daily event. It's easy to get a little calloused to things that would otherwise be unusual when you travel. Everything becomes usual. When survival is still a concern environmental impact is not. Further if the government doesn't care or the infrastructure isn't there you Can't expect the local people be stewards of their lands. It's a learned behavior. It's not innate. Religion whatever it is sets a tone for a country and how it lives. People are not that different. Animals even dogs are not always pets. Choose your battles wisely. Everything is negotiable.... Unless it's not. Temple fatigue is a real thing. What constitutes a bed differs greatly. If planning is your thing them in hope flexibility is as well. Things rarely go as planned and you won't always want to follow the plans you make. If you take time to learn another's culture and language it makes the biggest difference when interacting with them. Ideas about roads and transportation vary greatly. The importance of good company on a long hike. Everyone has a story and it's almost always worth letting someone tell theirs.
There are thousands of stories behind these lessons and I feel like it's a pretty surface list of some of the things I learned.
I grew in ways I could have never hoped to. I found things I wasn't really looking for and I think in other ways came with ideas or hopes that never really materialized. I wouldn't change the experiences I had for anything. I met people I will always hold dear to me and had experiences that change the way I look at the world and have shaped the way I look at the world and my future.
Travel was a great experience and one I am grateful I had a chance to experience. The lessons I learned will go with me as I transition to new opportunities in my life.
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