Attempt to Recreate my Lost European Journal

     During this 50 day trip, I successfully kept a journal- something I have never actually followed through on before. In it, I wrote my hitch hiking stats, daily activities, and most interesting to me- the thoughts that were running through my head at that particular time. I was really proud of myself for consistently writing and keeping up with it. Then, with only a few days left on the trip, I realized I lost it in Italy while attempting to hitch hike to Slovenia.

     I was looking forward to see my thoughts shift to a different perspective when put in different circumstances as the trip progressed. I told myself I wouldn’t read anything previously written until the trip was over. That way, I could really see the changes. Anyway, I have been back home for a while now, and I think I should try to recall as much as I can remember while it is all still fresh on my mind. I will continue to add more as I think of it.

     I have learned a great deal of things in my travels, including those previous to this trip. I will go ahead and say right now that no matter what I say here, even if I was the most amazing writer in the world, it won’t come close to first hand experience. In my posts, I discuss random topics in no particular order. However, I do believe they all tie into each other in some way.

Adventure

     For so long, I struggled to find what my passions were in my life. People would ask, “When do you feel most alive?” and I could never give a real response. Now, I think I can finally answer this question with “adventure”. My experiences as a traveler were packed with so much adventure. Looking back, I loved it all- the good, the bad, and the learning processes involved.
     Let me make myself a little more clear when discussing my idea of adventure. For me on this trip, adventures included: waiting hours on the side of the road desperately waiting for someone to pick me up, wandering aimlessly around a foreign city while searching tables and trashcans for scraps of food, sleeping under bridges, finding ways around buying tickets for trains and buses, sneaking into overpriced museums, going long periods of time without food or a bath, and trying to spend little money.
      When looking for inspiration for adventure while in Europe, I would occasionally read “Wild at Heart” by John Eldridge and “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coehlo. Although there were some things I questioned in Eldridge’s writing, a lot of it inspired and encouraged my desire for adventure, which he claimed all men are designed to do. Like Eldridge, it makes me sad thinking of all the people I know who never even attempt to experience new adventures. I often found myself in bad or uncomfortable situations, and I would be glad for the situation. It only provided another opportunity for a new adventure. If you have never read "The Alchemist", I reccomend it. I read it every time I embark on a big trip, and it always reignites my passion for exploration.

The Body

     The more I think about it, the more I realize how truly amazing the human body is. Far too often, I take my physical and mental abilities and my overall health for granted. With a healthy body and mind, I believe there are very few things a person can experience in the world. I became interested in challenging myself in different ways (creating new adventures) to see how my body and mind would respond. I learned a lot about myself that surprised me, and I will do my best to articulate these such things I have learned.
     It makes me sick when I see how much people unnecessarily pamper their bodies. I often think it is fun to test the limits of what I can and cannot do. Most people will be surprised at how much they are capable of when actually put themselves in these situations. Once again, it comes back to people’s desire for comfort every moment of their lives.

Gratitude

     My attempt to challenge myself through this “homeless experience” showed me things from a whole different stance. The level of gratitude I experienced for so many things exceeded any other point in my life. Things like food, a home, running water, sitting down in a chair, feeling the breeze, seeing a nice sunset, talking to another person, taking a shower (yes, even me), sleeping…things I rarely think about on that level. The feeling of being truly hungry is one of the craziest I have ever felt. I have done some “fasting” years before for different reasons but had similar outcomes. As I said before, reading and writing about this here can in no way compare to the actual experience of real hunger. Especially in a rich city, where delicious food and comfortable looking people have you completely surrounded, that is a real test. It wasn’t just about saving money (although that was nice). It was also about doing something different, seeing things from a different perspective, challenging myself and making me feel uncomfortable. And believe me, when the time finally did come to eat, eating that food is the best sensation. You appreciate every single morsel in a way like never before.

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

     From the moment I started this trip, this question was the thing I continued to ask myself any time something would start to go “bad”. Realistically, I was never worried about my life ending. The idea of someone murdering me, surely is possible, but far too small of odds change any of my trip. So, honestly, the worst thing I could think of actually happening is getting my stuff stolen. And out of all my stuff, the only things I really cared about was my camera, wallet (although I never had more than $40 in it), my passport (who would steal a passport?), and my journal (which I lost anyway). Every one of these things, even my passport, are conveniences, or additional comfort, to me; my beat of my heart is not dependent on them. So basically, throughout the trip, I took the risk of losing these conveniences. I can now say the risk was well worth it. I think this view should be used way more often in everyday situations. It is so sad to me how often fears of losing conveniences such as these prevent a person from taking more risks.

Time, Light, and Earth

     When I camp, I almost always wake up when the sun rises. This summer, I have done a lot of outdoor sleeping- definitely spent more nights outside than inside. Early this summer, I went with two of my room mates, Ryan and Blake, on a 2.5 week, 6,000 mile road trip around the western U.S. We camped nearly every night either in a National Forest or Park. I have always liked camping, but it has grown to love since this summer.
     I often forget to realize how much life on Earth depends on the sun. It is easy to forget how perfect every factor combines to make this planet not only suitable, but enjoyable for living. I have heard my geography professors talk passionately about this for years, and it has just recently hit me.
     When we camped on our trip, the sun dictated our entire day. We would usually spend the whole day hiking and exploring. When the sun set and darkness came around 9 pm, we had nothing more to do. So we slept, waiting for the sun to rise at 5 or 6 so we could start our next day.
     I loved not even being tempted to waste my time trying to fill in those night hours with things such as watching TV, aimless web surfing, or excessive junk food snacking. The same thing happened in Europe. I would wake up with the sun and have so much time in my day to do whatever I wanted (the days are longer there, too). I hope to continue doing this, but it is difficult when technology and night life is so popular. When I was at school and when I worked in summers, the only free time in my day was after the sun sets. I would have meetings, class, practice, or work while the light was still available.
     Being out in the natural countryside so much this summer, I gained a better appreciation for the Earth- its beauty, vastness, and power. I also gained a large appreciation for the work it took to create all of the comforts that we enjoy every single day without even having to think how they were made possible. This seems weird to say because so much of the Earth is being destroyed in order for these comforts to be possible. But when you live on nothing but the pure Earth for even just a short time, I think you would understand my perspective a lot better.
     As a self proclaimed handyman, I like to think I could be able to create some of these comforts for myself. If you give me some 2x4s, some nails, and a hammer, I could surely build a table, or maybe even some sort of house. But if I were in the wild with absolutely nothing, I really doubt I could make my own steel tools or mill my own tree down without the help of other people and complex tools and machines that have taken centuries to develop.

Social Life

     I have noticed considerable changes in my social life. Times before, it was difficult or awkward for me to talk with some people. Now, I feel like I could not only carry on, but enjoy a conversation with anyone. I guess when hitch hiking, I was somewhat forced into situations where I had to do this. And so often, people who I normally would not talk to ended up having great conversation with me.
     Part of the reason for my change is my realization of the similarities all people share- no matter the age, sex, cultural background, or income level. At times when I may have previously felt intimidated or uncomfortable, I now see as an opportunity to genuinely show interest in another person. Maybe I can learn something from that person, or maybe that person can learn something from me.
     If you look at the big picture, it is silly to not try to work together with other people to make life easier or more fun. Hitch hiking is a nice microcosm for this. If a person is driving to a place anyway, why not help someone else out and pick them up? As the hitcher being picked up, I tried to make their drive better by entertaining them with stories of my travels and life back in Texas. The same goes for couch surfing.
     I think my high percentage of positive experiences interacting with such a variety of people has helped change my perspective on my role in the social world- I am no more or less inferior than any other person. The important thing for me is to keep my interest in people as genuine as possible. I hate when people are fake.
     I realize that because most of my interactions occurred mostly with fellow hitch hikers and couchsurfing hosts, I dealt with some of the most generous, well traveled people. It was definitely not an accurate sample of the population of that region. Even still, these people gave me enough hope for the rest of their people.

Random Thoughts

     This will be my ongoing section for all of the random thoughts I have written at some point that don't quite fit into my other topics.

     In the "fasting" process, it really makes it painful to see the amount of food people waste. But when I think from a global perspective, that waste really doesn’t make much of a difference- there is not a shortage of food on the planet- it’s the displacement of the food. I also realize it’s not that simple, but for that’s ok for now.
     Writing and sharing these experiences is not something I would typically do, but I am doing it because a lot of people asked me to. I also would like to share my experiences with more people in general. On this trip, I realized how dependent I am on other people, and how dumb it is for me to choose not to share my life and experiences with those who want to share. Another motivation for writing this is to encourage (in whatever way possible) the people who share some of my passions for traveling, challenging one’s self, or anything else.