There is something about the idea of a traveler that has always appealed to me. To me, the traveler is akin to the explorer's of yesteryear, and while there are certainly true explorers left, those who dive into the dark and unknown places of this earth, their possible terrain must certainly be dwindling. What makes the traveler their heir is that he seeks lands unknown to him and in this way explores; the traveler leaves friends, family, and the familiar behind in search of something ineffable; the traveler gives up routine and the comfort of his own couch; the traveler seeks out the unfamiliar and the close sweat of foreign bodies in favor of his own sterilized world. Beyond this, the traveler must also share some of the qualities of those great charters and mappers of history.
The traveler is patient. He has to wait, to be able to work on the timeframes of others and accept the fact that different cultures have different perceptions of timeliness. When I lived in the Caribbean, I learned that soon could mean 5 minutes, 5 hours, or 5 days depending on what it what the speaker was referring to. If it was a car part that had to come from off-island and the mechanic said everything would be alright "soon," he meant about 5 days; if it was some paperwork that needed governmental authentication and the woman at the desk said things would come back "soon," she mean 5 business hours. If it was . . . well, you get the idea. This drove the American in me bat-sh#!, but it taught me patience because the worst thing you can possible do when you have no control or recourse it to pretend that you do.
The traveler is watchful. He is amazed that so many fantastically different cultures inhabit the same globe, that so many different peoples walk this wonderful earth speaking a myriad of languages. The traveler watches in awe and tries to appreciate that he may never again experience these same things again, so he watches carefully so as to remember them "someday day ages and ages hence." I felt this way yesterday as I stood outside a temple and watched a band play while dancers writhed on a wooden stage (see background photo) and the supplicants brought flowers, coconuts, and little birds to the alter.
The traveler is respectful. He does his best to learn the language and customs of his host country. In some cases, this may only be "hello" or "thank you" at first, but he realizes that these small tokens are a way of showing his host people that he does not expect them to know his tongue. Here in Cambodia, this is a daunting challenge because many of the pronunciation keys are even beyond my scope. Try to wrap your head around "cheh niyeay pia'saa Anglais baan the?" That's "Do you speak English?" Somehow it doesn't seem as facile as "Habla ingles?"
The traveler is equanimitous. He must always have a certain level of calm and surety that does not rely on events or circumstances. When working properly, mine comes from the incredible gratefulness I feel at even having the opportunities to explore that I do. These opportunities are not readily available to the woman in Arequipa, Peru, who works 10 hours a day, 6 days a week and earns little more than $150.00 a month. Try saving up to head to Miami for a weekend! The traveler must be equanimitous to face such daunting challenges as when my mother was calmly told at a major fast-food franchise in the Caribbean that there was no iced-tea because "da mon who
make de ice tea ain't come in yet today." Oh, well. I guess there's no iced tea then, is there?
The traveler is adventurous. This above all, I think, for without an adventurous spirit, who would want to venture beyond the Americanized resorts and hotels? And, if you're going to stay at some four-star hotel the whole time you're in Bangladesh, why even bother? The traveler braves dysentery and other ailments in an almost futile, certainly fleeting and far-between, effort to experience something real, something authentic, something that shifts his perceptive lens and challenges his gods.
This is what being a traveler means to me. These are the qualities I try to cultivate and practice (though to varying degrees of success). Do you have a story that brings these to mind? Is there something else that drives you to travel?
The traveler is patient. He has to wait, to be able to work on the timeframes of others and accept the fact that different cultures have different perceptions of timeliness. When I lived in the Caribbean, I learned that soon could mean 5 minutes, 5 hours, or 5 days depending on what it what the speaker was referring to. If it was a car part that had to come from off-island and the mechanic said everything would be alright "soon," he meant about 5 days; if it was some paperwork that needed governmental authentication and the woman at the desk said things would come back "soon," she mean 5 business hours. If it was . . . well, you get the idea. This drove the American in me bat-sh#!, but it taught me patience because the worst thing you can possible do when you have no control or recourse it to pretend that you do.
The traveler is watchful. He is amazed that so many fantastically different cultures inhabit the same globe, that so many different peoples walk this wonderful earth speaking a myriad of languages. The traveler watches in awe and tries to appreciate that he may never again experience these same things again, so he watches carefully so as to remember them "someday day ages and ages hence." I felt this way yesterday as I stood outside a temple and watched a band play while dancers writhed on a wooden stage (see background photo) and the supplicants brought flowers, coconuts, and little birds to the alter.
The traveler is respectful. He does his best to learn the language and customs of his host country. In some cases, this may only be "hello" or "thank you" at first, but he realizes that these small tokens are a way of showing his host people that he does not expect them to know his tongue. Here in Cambodia, this is a daunting challenge because many of the pronunciation keys are even beyond my scope. Try to wrap your head around "cheh niyeay pia'saa Anglais baan the?" That's "Do you speak English?" Somehow it doesn't seem as facile as "Habla ingles?"
The traveler is equanimitous. He must always have a certain level of calm and surety that does not rely on events or circumstances. When working properly, mine comes from the incredible gratefulness I feel at even having the opportunities to explore that I do. These opportunities are not readily available to the woman in Arequipa, Peru, who works 10 hours a day, 6 days a week and earns little more than $150.00 a month. Try saving up to head to Miami for a weekend! The traveler must be equanimitous to face such daunting challenges as when my mother was calmly told at a major fast-food franchise in the Caribbean that there was no iced-tea because "da mon who
make de ice tea ain't come in yet today." Oh, well. I guess there's no iced tea then, is there?
The traveler is adventurous. This above all, I think, for without an adventurous spirit, who would want to venture beyond the Americanized resorts and hotels? And, if you're going to stay at some four-star hotel the whole time you're in Bangladesh, why even bother? The traveler braves dysentery and other ailments in an almost futile, certainly fleeting and far-between, effort to experience something real, something authentic, something that shifts his perceptive lens and challenges his gods. This is what being a traveler means to me. These are the qualities I try to cultivate and practice (though to varying degrees of success). Do you have a story that brings these to mind? Is there something else that drives you to travel?
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