So, I have been doing something quite foreign to me. I am renting an apartment and living in a major city. It has been a month, exactly, incidentally. Thus, I made a drastic decision today (ok, I planned and thought it out) but I will get to that later.
Living in an apartment is wonderful. I have a comfortable chair in which to read. A wonderful bed in which to pass the time dreaming and resting. The television allows me to follow Champions League futbol. And the internet connection keeps me up-to-date with emails and news from BBC, ESPN and other important websites. I can follow my friends’ blogs and communicate with my father in planning a backpacking trip this summer. Would you believe that technology is so wonderful that I have the ability to watch live NBA games from my laptop too? It’s called Slingbox and it’s amazing. (I’m rooting for Baron Davis and Matt Barnes of course, my classmates, but I am not joining that bandwagon… Lakers for life…) Skype allows me to see (webcam) and chat (“real” voices) with friends and family all over the world.
Living in a city is wonderful. My gym is a short metro ride away and I hang out with the crowd there during a fantastic daily workout. The metro is clean and efficient, albeit PACKED during rush hour. But I can navigate around and explore various parts of the city using this efficient (but boring) transportation system. I even found the local basketball courts and threw my ‘bows around near the hoop yesterday (yeah, I am playing center here, ha!). The markets are convenient and I even have my local “picas” (places) to eat when I want a good, cheap meal. I have been able to shower regularly (surprise coming from me, huh!) and cook in any style I desire. Even cleaning the apartment is a great thing because I get to enjoy the cleanliness of it all afterwards. There's nothing like watering the plants and watching them sprout, despite the cold winter approaching. I can study and read Spanish in the newspaper everyday, and chat with my doorman about politics, the state of the world and our favorite NBA stars from the ’92 Dream Team.
But it has been a month of "staying-put-ness" and travel anxiety has been nipping at my feet. So, despite the luxuries of living in a city- concrete sidewalks, technology galore and anything and everything close by, I am leaving the "perfectness" of the consistently-connected world for the "madness" of the road. (In fact, I am going to attempt a minimalist approach.) I bought the ticket to Iquique today, and hope to explore Northern Chile and the surrounding areas over the next month. I ship out of Santiago on the ides of May and will continue this traveling experience on the road.
Yes, I have been and currently am traveling. Whereas this is not paid work, true traveling also cannot be considered a vacation. It is work because one is responsible for absorbing and appreciating culture; for talking with people from all over the world, in different languages when applicable; for facilitating the movement of energy from one person or group to another through story-telling or smiling; for wisely spending money in places where normal people can earn it. Not paying some CEO one of his unnecessary millions, but purchasing artesinal goods from the actual makers. Not paying some middle-business-man for arranging unnecessary logistics, but paying for the services provided by the actual individuals.
Real travelers can be considered on the frontlines of peace- living, breathing examples of thinking and expressing the true feelings and unique thoughts in the exact moment. They discuss and communicate everyday, in a sea of cultural mixing with natives from the area as well as other travelers from distant corners and familiar communities of the globe. They are the dreamers, the seers, the examples of patience and understanding who try to bring about a better tomorrow... by living the example they wish to see. Though seemingly selfish, the true traveler is anything but that. (The fakers, however, are a different story.)
With semantics aside, I am trying to emphasize… anything is possible, friends… And it even helps to have a vision and a plan of action. Traveling the world, enjoying a scheduled lifestyle and helping to bring about peace… they're all possible with some flexibility, patience and occasional steps into the unknown. In a world where men are technologically obsolete (uh, yes, artificial insemination) and glaciers are bleeding more heavily than normal, we ought to live every moment to the fullest… no?
Soon---
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