A girl's simple view of her travels

I have been fortunate to have been able to travel to different parts of the world the last 10 years, as I see it, I've also busted my ass to get to those places. Nothing was ever easy, wall after wall, but as fate would have it, I arrived to my destination safe, sound, and a part of A(me)rica left at the airport.

Washington D.C. is a weird sort of place. The enthusiasm of patriotism is there no questions asked, but as I would stare at the sheepish faces of people proudly announcing their devotion and loyalty to this entity and idea of what America is, I can't help but wonder whether they truly bleed red, white, and blue when I see doubt in their diverted eyes.

But I'm not going to go on a tirade of what, why, and how the U.S. is the best place in the world blah, blah blah, everyone should travel blah, blah, blah you've never lived blah, blah.......but these are my simple and humble observations. Unique perspectives I have attained by leaving my bubble and plunging head first in the vast ocean of culture, chaos, and worldwide beauty.

It used to be that I would scoff at people who would claim to know, to be in, to have the skinny on the world and its musings when they had no clue at all on how a different culture views the U.S. When in reality they've never left their city, state, country or what's even worse, when they've traveled to and from countries but were jaded about it. They would lay forth their vast knowledge of 'who's, what's and it's because' on me. "Really? Where have you traveled? No where? Ok. You're dead to me." Closed-minded with a faux openness. Be open. Become a sponge, suck in, release.

Sights, smells, inner sickening and/or ecstatic emotions, the feel of dirt, a whiff of homemade food, summer's day heat on your skin, the hardness of the ground below your feet, slender grass blades between your fingers, clouds of 1st and 3rd world petrol smoke engulf your body, loud thunderous vibrations of an outdoor market, the sweat on your brow, ancient runes of forgotten civilizations; make your 5 senses work and strain for every bit of memory it can handle. Your body will carry each country tucked somewhere inside you.

I anxiously wait where my feet will lead me soon. Till then, I can only humbly narrate the adventures of my journeys and try to bring as many people as I can with me.

I'm here to s(t)ay

It's been 4 weeks to the day since I've stepped onto District of Columbia soil. DC has been good to me. It's opened a lot of sets of eyes I alternate within me. Realizations that will forever change (for the good and bad) me. I want to help, I want to save. "No you can't, who the hell are you?" "Yes you can, you have the potential to change universes."

Since I've slowly accustomed my leisurely EP pace into faster, get-out-of-my-way-you-dammed-tourists state of mind, I have come to believe that I am a child of chameleon tendencies. I thought I was able to quickly adapt to my surroundings back home in EP, but here, oh my gawd, I am becoming a master jedi of rapid change. Surprise? Well, that's another story. Surprise change? Ok, you're losing me.

I found an article recently on thoughtcatolog.com about being a 20-something living in DC and living through life's little joy's, disappointments, regrets, a-ha moments, etc, etc etc, yadda yadda yadda whatever we quarter-lifer's are going through. "Drink with Republicans. Make out with
Liberals. See more diversity than you ever have in your entire life living back home....Feel disconnected to the reason you came here. Get frustrated with D.C. traffic, slow metros, bad neighborhoods, expensive cost of living, and overall insanity....End your pseudo relationship back home. See couples on the street and stare at them like zoo animals. Everyone is too young for that here. Not really, just more self involved. Question your life path...." http://thoughtcatalog.com/2011/how-to-live-in-washington-dc/

And with that thought I leave you. Appreciate where you are, who you're with, the moment where you look down at your hands and feet and then look up and realize the sky you're looking at is not the same back home.