El Fin....The End
Trip Start
Jul 02, 2008
1
60
Trip End
Jun 19, 2009
Lusaka, Zambia
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
-"hello" in Hindi is not "shalom" and it's not handing over a stick of deodorant
-the festival in Ahmedabad was not Cinco de Mayo
-the Mursi tribe is not known for their Marvin Gaye rendition of "Mursi, Mursi Me"
-a burning ghat is not a doobie
-the Swahili word "jambo" does not mean "bite me"
-I did not see John and Katie mating in the Masai Mara National Park
-the reason for not climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro was not because I had menstrual cramps
Thanks for the laughs :)
I'm not sure why I called this blog "Around the world in ~365 days". I knew I wasn't going all the way around the world, only halfway around the world. And I didn't even make it the full 365 days, only 352 days. But the countries I've visited and the cultures I've experienced are of a completely different world than the one in which you and I live. The cultures I've lived in for the past year believe in arranged marriages, dowries, sacred cows, female genital mutilation, lip stretching, body scarification, drinking cow blood, polygamy... They have survived genocide, communist occupation, dictators like Idi Amin, post-election violence, Tamil Tigers, overpopulation, poverty, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS... And yet through all this devastation you find the friendliest people in the world. They say "hello" to you as you pass them on the street and hope you have a few minutes of time to spare so they can find out more about you. They'll offer to buy you a chai so they can sit down with you and practise their English and learn about American culture.
And what is American culture? Money, cars, big houses, iPhones, expensive clothes, working too many hours, and somewhere family fits in there. People ask me about traditional American dancing. All I can answer with is Native American dancing. People ask me about traditional American food. Ummm...hamburgers and hotdogs? Barbecue? Fried chicken? We're a country of immigrants and generally our favorite foods are international cuisines. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but North Americans don't have a strong traditional culture. Yet we're the envy of the world. So many people dream of emmigrating to the US and living the American dream. What they don't realize, though, is that they'll quickly get sucked into the fast-paced American way of life and slowly lose their traditional culture that they're so proud of.
What I do know, and what scares me a bit, is that coming home after this trip will be more of a culture shock for me than travelling through any of these countries. I haven't touched a cell phone in a year, I haven't driven a car in a year, I haven't paid bills or worked in a year. I'm sure I'll be fine, but I hope I can quickly readjust to the life I used to live.
You might ask me how my life will change because of this journey. Honestly, I'm really not sure. Being away from your family and friends and being alone for an entire year brings out the best and the worst in you. I always knew what my strengths and weaknesses were, but they seriously make themselves prevelant on a journey like this. I hope to continue to improve my strengths and work hard to diminish my weaknesses. I hope to continue to dedicate my career to the disadvantaged. I hope to volunteer on a more regular basis. I hope to spend more time doing the things I love and am passionate about. And I hope to continue travelling during my summer breaks from work.
A lot has happened at home since I've been gone. Obama being elected as the first African American president in history, the economic crisis, friends having babies, my brother and sister-in-law having a baby, losing a friend I care deeply about...I'm sorry I've missed all of these, especially the birth of my nephew. I'm also sorry I've missed an entire year of the lives of my cousins' and friends' children. Orly and Abby are walking, Ava just finished her first year of school, Braya is talking in full sentences, Maggie's a big sister now! I regret missing out on a lot of things this past year but I wouldn't have given up this experience for anything. It's overwhelming thinking back on everything I've seen and done. Once I'm reunited with all of you I'm really not sure how I'll begin to share my journey with you. Where exactly do I start?
I would like to thank those of you who have emailed me regularly. You don't understand how happy it made me seeing and reading emails from you. Even if it was just a line or two it meant a lot to me. And for those of you who never or hardly ever emailed me...well, I'll have a few words for you when I see you.
I've made a couple of lists as I rap up this trip...
What I will NOT miss from this journey:
-long, hot, bumpy, smelly bus journeys
-trash everywhere, especially in India
-I'm sorry to say this, but African body odor
-bland African food
-living out of a backpack for 12 months and wearing the same few articles of clothing and a single pair of shoes
-not having a home, always on the move
-blackouts
-very slow internet connections or lost connections while typing a blog entry
-mosquitos, cockroaches, and endless other insects
-sleeping under mosquito netting and smelling of mosquito repellent all the time
-little control over what I eat
-sleeping in strange beds night after night
What I will miss from this journey:
-everyday meeting different people from around the globe
-spotting the Southern Cross constellation every night which always reminded me of where I was (Shit...I'm in Africa!!)
-amazing Indian cuisine (well I've been missing this for 5 months now)
-everyday being open to the possibility of a new adventure
Thanks for reading...
peace,
Jen
Comments
Lovely post Jen.
By reading your post, i felt sense of enriching..
Enjoy your passions,
Vlad