Western Europeans (and yes, culturaly, that includes Americans) have a unique ability to collect mass quantities of shit that they only think they need. We just use most of it to fill up our apartment to distract ourselves from the fact that we live in little plastic box. We are so reliant on corporations to tell us what we need, that most of us are out of touch with our ability to discern our wants from theirs. So, how do you find yourself again?
Make a list of everything that you've actally used or worn (don't include the things your job, or social circle dictates) in the past wek. If you end up with more than 30 items (unless your hobby comes with lots of paraphenalia), go over the list again. If it still won't budge, then you're just more attached to your things than you're desire to travel. No big deal, but maybe you're better off staying there.
Now, out of those 30 items, eliminate furniture and kitchen appliances. They aren't worth the shipping costs. What you're left with should fit into a large suitcase. That shock that you're feeling is just the shock from unplugging yourself from the machine. "But, I need it." whined the reader. You sound like a junkie, and you are. You've got to quit cold turkey. You won't know you won't need all that shit until its gone. And like any junkie, you'll learn to replace all that plastic, disposable shit with better more permanent things.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Just Pick a Place
The first rule of itinerancy is opening yourself up to the messages the universe is trying to send you. Too much planing just gets in the way. If there's some place that you've always wanted to go, that you dreamt about as a kid, scratch it off the list first. You've built it up too much in your mind and you're only going to be disappointed. Trust me.
Now that I've said that, some general rules do apply. Unless you have balls of steel and an extraordinary capacity to assimilate language, you'll want to pick a place where they speak English. It only has to be one of the official languages. I had a lot of fun in Amsterdam, and never had to pick up a word of Dutch. As a matter of fact, travelling to a country with more than one official language is a great way to become mulit-lingual and open up more travel opportunities.
Or, just spin the globe and pick a place. You've got to learn to start making your own decisions. This is actually a great way to travel if you have the aforementioned balls. One of the problems with travelling to other countries is securing a work visa. In most countries, you have to have already secured a job. And if you don't have an advanced degree (especially if you're considernig a first world country) you can just about forget it (unless you plan on going to school there).
Go third world. Those places are more interesting anyway and you want to hurry up and see them before globalization turns them all into Peewaukee, Wisconsin. And teaching English is a great way to do it. English is the language of commerce, and non-English speaking countries want in. So much so, that they're willing to pay English speakers to come to their country and teach their children (and sometimes adults) English.
Don't worry about not being able to speak the mother tongue. These aren't American kids. They've been learning the basics of English since they started school and you'll be able to conduct most of the class in English. In theory. You should probably ask about that before your boarding call. Some schools pay for your plane ticket, room and board, and even language lessons (theirs - the assumption is you've got English down) with a year long contract.
What about your kids? You shouldn't have had them. But I guess if you're really set on the lifestyle, you could just abandon them. I recommend dropping them off on a doorstep as opposed to heading North for a few hours, asking them to get out and check the tail light and driving away. But whatever works for you.
Now that I've said that, some general rules do apply. Unless you have balls of steel and an extraordinary capacity to assimilate language, you'll want to pick a place where they speak English. It only has to be one of the official languages. I had a lot of fun in Amsterdam, and never had to pick up a word of Dutch. As a matter of fact, travelling to a country with more than one official language is a great way to become mulit-lingual and open up more travel opportunities.
Or, just spin the globe and pick a place. You've got to learn to start making your own decisions. This is actually a great way to travel if you have the aforementioned balls. One of the problems with travelling to other countries is securing a work visa. In most countries, you have to have already secured a job. And if you don't have an advanced degree (especially if you're considernig a first world country) you can just about forget it (unless you plan on going to school there).
Go third world. Those places are more interesting anyway and you want to hurry up and see them before globalization turns them all into Peewaukee, Wisconsin. And teaching English is a great way to do it. English is the language of commerce, and non-English speaking countries want in. So much so, that they're willing to pay English speakers to come to their country and teach their children (and sometimes adults) English.
Don't worry about not being able to speak the mother tongue. These aren't American kids. They've been learning the basics of English since they started school and you'll be able to conduct most of the class in English. In theory. You should probably ask about that before your boarding call. Some schools pay for your plane ticket, room and board, and even language lessons (theirs - the assumption is you've got English down) with a year long contract.
What about your kids? You shouldn't have had them. But I guess if you're really set on the lifestyle, you could just abandon them. I recommend dropping them off on a doorstep as opposed to heading North for a few hours, asking them to get out and check the tail light and driving away. But whatever works for you.
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