Living the Dream: August 2013

Hey everyone,

It’s that time again. I’m living out of my backpack. I overslept for my early morning flight yesterday but still made it. I won’t be staying in the same bed for more than three nights in a row for a couple of weeks. I'm armed with an ample supply of emergency granola bars hidden throughout all of my bags. And once I have a place to stay for the night and know where I'm going to get my daily coffee, my day will be made. It’s time to start traveling again.

Today marks an official year since I took off from South Korea for a year of adventure around the world. In the past year I was lucky enough to travel to 25 different countries. Two I had been to before, the rest I hadn’t been to but only read about. Three countries I spent less than a day in, but two I spent two months in. There will never be enough time to spend exploring a new country, therefore I’m grateful for the precious little time I was able to have in each new place, because I still learned more than I would have from not going. I’m often asked which has been my favorite country over the past few years of traveling, and I always reply that I can’t answer that straightaway. I have to qualify it more, because I can’t possibly choose a favorite. For best food, prices, and beaches I’d say Thailand is my favorite. For history and intrigue, China was one of my favorites. For learning about and experiencing modern history in the making, South Africa was my favorite. For atmosphere and cultural vibe, Brazil was my favorite. The list goes on.

Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I feel like I can't truly comprehend how much I've done in the past year because I haven't had much time to reflect, but looking back on each place, I realized that my primary motivation for traveling has been, and still will be, to learn. As long as I keep learning, it’s worth the time, the money, and the inevitable rough patches. Some of my most spine tingling moments of the past year have been when I’ve seen for my own eyes things I’ve only heard about and never fully understood until then, such as in the China National Museum, when I saw the posters of Mao and his Communist propaganda statements, as part of a national ideology that has been responsible for the death of millions of innocent lives in China. Or sitting down on a bench at the Vietnam War Memorial Museum with tears streaming down my face as I realized how much I never knew about my own country and its role in the effort to contain Communism. Or taking a boat to Robben Island, and seeing Nelson Mandela’s former prison cell as he lay ill in a hospital not too far from where I had been staying. These moments have changed me, and changed the way I view the world as I learn the significance of each place.

The Great Wall of China, China

And now, as I prepare for yet another adventure, I can officially look back and say “I did it.” I did what I set out to do last August: to travel around the world for a year. It has been an incredible journey, and I still can’t quite believe it’s all really happened. I’ve seen so much, learned so much, and experienced so much more than I ever expected. It’s a little sad to think that I’ll likely never be able to travel freely for a year again, but at the same time that’s what made this year so special – now that I’ve done it, I’m ready to move on and start a new adventure, after taking some much needed time on my own at home in Minnesota the past two months. I’ve caught up with lifelong friends, reunited with my extended family members, met up with people I hadn’t seen since before I left for South Korea, took a road trip to Wisconsin, and had some time to myself to enjoy living in downtown Minneapolis. I landed safe and sound in Colorado yesterday morning, where I will be for the next week, then a quick stop in Chicago, a visit to Prague, and even a layover’s worth of an afternoon in Stockholm en route to Moscow, where I will arrive on September 1^st to begin a 9 month teaching contract. I’m very excited for the new experiences Russia will bring…and I’m pretty excited to see a paycheck again. So that’s what I’m up to next. As always, I’ll be connected via e-mail and Facebook, and I’d love to hear from you. Even if it’s just because you were thinking of me on a cold Minnesota winter day and took comfort in the fact that I was probably colder than you were, so things could have been worse. I’ll still appreciate the thought.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

But before I close, I have to qualify something. I can’t actually look back and say “I did it. I traveled the world for a year,” because although I was the one who made all my flights (okay, most of them) and survived overnight bus rides and got to where I needed to be in the end, it wasn’t an individual effort. I was able to travel the way I did thanks to the pure kindness, generosity, and hospitality of so, so many people. From the people who graciously opened their homes to me, like Steve and Mary, Megan in Shanghai, all of my ‘second families’ and friends back in the United States, my aunt and uncle during our vacation in Costa Rica, Rosy in Chilamate, Chelsea in New York City, Jason and Katie’s families in South Africa, and even my friends and family back in Minnesota and Wisconsin who graciously hosted me as I made my rounds. But it’s not only thanks to them, it’s thanks to all the helpful people who gave me a smile, or treated me with kindness during a frustrating time. From the little old ladies who couldn’t speak English but were able to point me in the right direction to the people who took the time to draw out a little map on a random piece of paper to show me where to go. From the bus drivers who remembered where I had asked to go to and alerted me when we’d reached my destination to the people at the train stations who helped me get on the right train. From my travel companions Sara, Roxy, Cecilia, Jen, and Kate to all the friendly people I met along the way, who invited me to share a meal, take a picture, or explore a new city with them. From the elderly Australian man who walked with me for a half and hour to keep me company and show me the right way to the airport in Sydney to Ken and Susan, the Canadian couple who offered me their cell phone for a quick call, then bought me my first American meal during a layover on my way home. And of course, to the consistent support of my family, who have never done anything but encourage me and believe in me. To all these people and so many more, I owe a lifetime of gratitude and as always, I only hope that in the future I can be ‘that person’ who helped someone else along their way or offered them a place to stay if they were passing through. If traveling has taught me anything, I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is that people are the same all around the world. And most people are pretty great.

Machu Picchu, Peru

So with that, take a few minutes to think about and thank all of the wonderful people in your lives that have helped you along the way, who have shown you the right way when you were lost, or simply just given you a smile when you needed it the most. Then, try to be ‘that person’ for someone else. Because with people like that in our lives and a dream in our minds, we can do anything.

To all of those that I was able to see back home this summer, each minute of your time was so precious to me and I thank you for it. To the rest of you, think about booking that ticket to Moscow! Maybe avoid the winter. But if not, best wishes for the last few weeks of summer and hopefully I’ll be back in action next year for graduate school – location pending on how well I complete my applications this winter. Take care, and feel free to check out the following pictures – some of my favorites from the past year of travelling.