UPDATE: 14 March 2004
My Fellow Earthroamers...
"When
one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life,
he has no right to keep it to himself."
- Jacques
Cousteau (1910-1997)
French marine explorer
I know a lot of earthroamers - people I've met along the way who share a common need to see the world. For example, there's Bela & Cecile - Parisians who've spent their entire married life abroad, and whose little girls speak four languages, just like their mom and dad. There's Greg & Paule - the journalists who met in Moscow and had their first kiss in Uzbekistan under a rain of machine-gun fire while trying to decide whether they were being held hostage or being 'protected' by an Uzbeki war lord. There's Jagan - the Canadian that was managing a Starbuck's in London and just e-mailed yesterday to say he's moved to Sydney, Australia... And so the list goes on!
THE INTERVIEWS
You can read what my friends had to say about why they have chosen to live their lives as earthroamers.
Why do these people have such interesting lives? I don't know why - I just know they do. And they really do seem like normal people to me - although clearly they haven't chosen to live 'normal' lives. So, I decided to ask them to explain why it is that they've chosen this path, what they've gotten from the experience, what they gave up to have it, and whether it has all been worth while. What I found is that, despite the unique qualities each of these people has, there were a few common themes running through their answers:
1. Once you go global, you can never go back.
"You have to choose between two paths, only one of which can be fully open to you." - Yancy
"[The downside is] possibly a slight lack of engagement - I don't know enough about Britain to be involved in politics or society - and in Austria I observe and analyse it as an outsider." - Delia
"...'reverse culture shock' can affect you, and sometimes I have felt a little 'rootless'." - Todd
"...You assume you'll always feel at home when you are at home, and then find that you aren't." - me
2. Earth roaming requires a willingness to accept the necessary risks.
"...there are some people who never left their living room... Some think danger is always around the corner and it is waiting exactly for them. What nonsense! Danger can be in your living room as well." - Manuela
"If you wanted to [travel], you would. If you aren’t sure or never do, then you never wanted to." - Yancy
"Life in another country is a challenge. Not everyone wants to deal with the struggle." - Carey
"If anything, I'm tame, as I've only lived in Europe and not somewhere more exotic like Asia or South America." - Colleen
"Don't go unless you can be sure you want to. Expect it to be different and embrace the differences." - Susan Jane
3. Travel changes the way you think about almost everything.
"Being confronted with different places and people... enabled me to see things from their point of view and gain a more open perspective on things." - Nora
"I feel more intelligent, more aware of the world as a result." - Kerri
"Making friends in other countries is an eye opening experience - to see how other people think. You become open to new ideas and possibilities." - Brandon
"One the ironies of living abroad is that the longer you are away the more you begin to learn about your own country... I guess you get a real balanced perspective on things." - Todd
"Most of the people I knew in Croatia were surprised by how much I changed. For them, I was a totally different person." - Manuela
4. Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Parlez-vous Francais? Habla Espanol?!?!
"I did not know any foreign languages." - Sergey
"When you go out with your friends, the last thing you want to do is concentrate to have a casual conversation over a beer." - Carey
"When living in Belgium... language was the biggest problem, as I didn't speak a word of Flemish when I stepped off the plane." - Colleen
"...my kids are becoming bilingual..." - Delia
"I didn't realise how isolated it could make you feel when you don't understand any of the chit-chat." - Ashley
"What surprised me was how... many people speak and understand English... I think it hurt my learning curve to pick up other languages." - Kerri
5. You have to really, really want it - and most of us really, really do.
"I wanted to go everywhere, see every country, learn every language." - Todd
"One of my grandmothers loved to travel. She had a map of the world on her wall with little red pins sticking in it showing all the places she'd been to... I tell [people] about my grandmother and how I always wanted to see the world." - Brandon
"[It's] like drinking when you’re thirsty." - Yancy
"I got addicted to the lifestyle, and the satisfaction and happiness it brought me. I am never happier than when I am living abroad." - Kerri
By now, hopefully you're thinking RIGHT ON! But maybe you're rolling your eyes and wondering why folks can't just stay put. I hope that's not the case. I hope - whether or not you ever leave your home town again - that you'll develop a slightly greater appreciation for seeing the world and the advantages that come from being able to view the world through someone else's eyes.
After you've read all of these interviews - and you're feeling inspired - why not take a cyber-trip via earthroaming.com's destinations!