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Published: March 12th 2010
Hiya folks!
It's been a while but just wanted to fill you in on the rest of my trip and my assimilation back into normal American society. San Francisco is still kinda normal, right? In this post, I hope to help us collectively wrap our heads around my trip's "deeper meaning". I may allude to things I've mentioned in previous posts but keep in mind that this is a wrap-up, yo!
So! After leaving Rome, I spent 3 weeks with my family and then returned to the Bay Area shortly after the New Year. I was really glad to be in one place after all my travels and here's that place:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_jersey
The Garden State seems to get a bad rap but let's think about its contributions to the world, even just in the musical realm....Frank Sinatra, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, the Misfits, Yo La Tengo, Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, etc. And did you know that Lauryn Hill is from South Orange and that Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston, and even Naughty by Nature are all from East Orange (i.e. - Illtown)?
A pilgrimage to East Orange will have to wait as I spent most of my time in Westfield:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westfield,_New_Jersey
Btw, could Westfield become New Jersey's New "Illtown" - is the Lord and Taylor the only thing holding it back? Alright so, Westfield is where my mother, sister, brother-in-law, nephew, and newly arrived niece (!) live. Oddly enough, it also happens to be the same town my Dad grew up in and where my grandparents are buried. Whenever I tell someone from Jersey that my family lives in Westfield, they'll almost invariably say "Oh yeah, that's where the Trader Joe's is." Oh, but there's so much more! - a bustling downtown area with shops, restaurants and even a few bars. My family's favorite is the Jolly Trolley - right next to the train station. Isn't that an awesome name for a bar? While I was away, the owners changed the name of the place to The Office.....supposedly to attract a "younger, hipper crowd". But do you really think you're gonna get more hipsters through the door just by taking out the model train and changing the name to The Office? Do they not know that bars in small towns typically have a more diverse crowd than bars in big cities anyway (which often cater to a specific clientele)? Fools, I tell you, fools!
Outside of the Jolly Trolley, I mostly read, hung out with my family, watched football, and went on walks around town. We went into NYC one day to visit the Natural History Museum - it was crazy packed but fun nonetheless. And it was really cool hangin' out with my nephew. He's two-and-half and into everything. While I was there he destroyed a Santa snow-globe - first Santa's head, then his feet, and finally the coup de grâce - hurled onto the floor, the water and snow started leaking out. Poor Santa! And what of this show "Dinosaur Train!" - as my brother-in-law mentioned, is there anything that little boys are more into than dinosaurs and trains? Is this like a kids' show equivalent of a slam dunk? Is it even necessary for the dinosaurs to do anything else other than just ride around in the trains?
I would also like to discuss the tri-state area sports teams - the Mets, the Jets, and the Nets. Are not the Mets and the Jets sort of like the red-headed stepchildren (I actually know someone - who shall remain nameless - whose brother has a red-headed stepchild) to the Yankees and the Giants? Are the Jets in particular the team most likely to be adopted by a dude that lives in New Jersey and drives around in a white pick-up truck? And perhaps the most hapless of this trio is the Nets. Did you know that they started off the season with a record 18 losses? I read the following headline in the local paper: "Nets chances of an upset doomed by cold shooting." Yes, "doomed by cold shooting" indeed - and did you know that the New Jersey Nets were once called the New Jersey Americans? How awesome is that? Why would you need to try and improve on perfection? Why would you ever want to change that name? Are the names of the New Jersey Turnpike Service Areas next? Walt Whitman! Clara Barton! Alexander Hamilton! Joyce Kilmer! Grover Cleveland! I mean, c'mon - the Grover Cleveland Service Area? - will these people ever realize just how right they got it the first time around?
Speaking of sports, what was up with the Olympics? And where were these guys?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_band
Has there ever been a band or will there ever be a band more appropriate for the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony? Think about it - "By-tor and the Snow Dog" or "Take Off (to the Great White North)!" Or check this out (thanks to John Slater for reminding me of this video's existence):
Are the Canadians idiots? Why else would they not play their trump card? How badass would it have been to have the boys ripping into "Tom Sawyer" while snowboarders were doing flips off the half pipe? Was I the only one that thought Sarah McLachlan and the people running around in pastel unitards......was at least a little bit, well, lame?
So after leaving Jersey, I arrived back in the Bay Area and started back to work. I had three jobs before I left and I managed to get all 3 jobs back. I also moved into the apartment right next door to the one I vacated 10 and half months earlier. Basically, I went all the way around the world to move from 308 to 306 and from my cube to the one just 5 feet away. At first, this may have been the most disconcerting thing about returning. I came back and everything was not just similar but almost *exactly the same*. In retrospect, this was the best thing that could have happened. Not only did I need money (I think it would have been difficult to find another job with the present economy) but I also think I really needed some time to process all that I had done.........and not a lot of new stimulus. It's only now that I think I'm able to start making sense of it all.
So I put together a "Best of" collection of photos from my trip (I recommend the slide show):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8870546@N03/sets/72157623496680382/
Is this the point in the evening where we cut to the video/photo montage (a la Ken Burns) with some innocuous music (like Coldplay or Sting) playing in the background - like at the end of the World Series?
So proceeding ahead with the denouement, I'd like to discuss the realizations that I feel like I experienced and how they might enhance my life and perhaps even other peoples' lives. I had tons of minor epiphanies while I was traveling (too many to list here) but there were some pretty major ones that came out. One of the main things that I learned is that I don't know a lot. Is it possible that we collectively don't know a lot either? How else could one explain all the problems that we currently have? Is exploitation part of human nature? Does it have to continue to be this way? Can we afford to continue to live this way? Is travel and cultural exchange one way of ameliorating this exploitation?
My friend Claudine asked me if there are things that we could do at home that would allow us to think critically, challenge ourselves, etc.......as if we were traveling. Perhaps there are. Telegraph Avenue (the street right around the corner from my apartment), for instance, projects northwest out of downtown Oakland before taking a trip to all corners of the globe (sorry, I couldn't resist!)......Korean markets/restaurants, Vietnamese-owned convenience stores, Halal markets, Ethiopian restaurants/bars, African-American-owned businesses, etc. If we were traveling in Korea, we probably wouldn't think twice about going in a bar full of Koreans but how often do we do that back home? And at one of my jobs, the staff is comprised of Filipinos, Mexicans, Native Americans, African-Americans, and a few pasty indie rockers that run sound. Are Americans losing out on an opportunity right under our noses? We call ourselves the melting pot but how often do we really mix? As my brother-in-law, Damani, mentioned - how often does a white person go to an African-American funeral? Would it be good for Americans to travel within other communities within America?
Yes, I think it is good to have a support network (something I really came to value on the road) but should we not also be adventurers, wanderers, etc. among other cultures (i.e. - know where we're from but willingly find out about others)? Do people get too wrapped up in identity politics sometimes? Is this one of the things that makes exploiting someone else more likely? Will our survival as a species largely depend on our ability to understand each other/reconcile our differences and work together - particularly on our impending environmental problems? Is part of the problem that people over-correct? People getting so wrapped up in their stance and egoic mind that they don't realize that the stance they are fighting against has some truth in it? Are we entering a period where we're more likely to get what we want and need by empathy......rather than by identity politics?
Is it not especially important for Americans to learn about other people, countries, cultures, etc. (either at home or abroad) given the sway we hold over the rest of the world? Has the United States already played a large part in exacerbating problems, conflicts, etc. around the globe? Would a more enlightened citizenry make this less likely?
I also realized that I have not been very good to myself....often dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Is not the present moment the only moment that we have any kind of control over? I'm going to get a little more personal here than I have in previous posts but I feel that it's only appropriate to express how this trip affected me. As many of you know, I have what appears to be an auto-immune disorder. At first, we weren't sure what I had and I have to confess that the uncertainty really threw me for a loop (for about six months all told). I won't say that I'm totally living in the moment all the time, but I think after that experience and the experience of my trip (going so many places), learning about history, spirituality, religion, etc., I feel that I'm happiest when I focus on the here and now. I won't say that I've totally let go of my egoic mind but I'm working on it. Oddly, this was something that started to happen after I got back - perhaps I just needed time to let it start to sink in.
By the way, I was reading this article in the New Yorker about this guy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilayanur_S._Ramachandran
In the article, he discussed how consciousness may have evolved - he was wondering if consciousness was not first egocentric, then allocentric (able to understand the motivations, behavior of others), and then once our ancestors understood the other, superimposing that model back on ourselves. If this turns out to be the case, is this something that philosophers, spiritual teachers, etc. (i.e. - Buddha) have talked about for millennia - that the self is an illusion?
I was watching Adam Gopnik, a writer with the New Yorker (yes, again with the New Yorker!), getting interviewed on the Charlie Rose Show. They were discussing J.D. Salinger and Mr. Gopnik stated that Salinger had once said that being a good writer is not so much about how clever you are or anything like that - it's more about writing what you would like to read. And I thought about it and it made a lot of sense to me.....particularly as it relates to the discussion above about consciousness. Is this all that we can ask of ourselves - that we have an objective understanding of our skills, thoughts, emotions, etc.? Is being overly self-confident or having low self-esteem just not in line with reality? Does not everyone bring something to the table?
I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read these blog entries. I definitely do not think that I am the best or most clever writer in the world but I will say that by Mr. Salinger's criteria, I scrape by with C+! There are parts that would likely make me wince on the reread and I composed them under time constraints (and without editing) but I have to say that they were generally representative of what I was thinking at the time. And with writing, I'm much less likely to screw up the joke than if I'd spoke it aloud.
So what do I do from here? Well, I've been drafting a memoir: "From A-town to Oaktown: My Journey Thus Far". You're like, "Dude, you may wanna consider a different title." It kind of makes me think that I might be fitting this stereotype:
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2009/01/11/120-taking-a-year-off/
Well, a lot of people have described my trip as the trip of a lifetime. To be honest, I kind of hope it isn't - I was thinking this trip would get the bug out of my system but it just triggered *even more* of an interest in travel. At last count I'd been to 46 out of 50 states, almost 40 countries, and to Europe alone between 15 and 20 times. You'd think I'd be a professional at this point but sadly that is not the case - in case you forgot, I had my camera stolen twice! I probably will not do another trip like the one I just did......going a lot of places in a relatively short amount of time - I think that caused for some undue stress. I definitely enjoyed myself but next time I'd like to go fewer places and try and learn something tangible......like to South America to learn Spanish or to India/SE Asia to learn more about yoga and meditation. I learned a ton on my trip - I'd just like to be more focused next time. This trip was more like a sampler series. And yes, I'm thinking about going back to India - I think I needed to let India soak in a bit before I really appreciated it. I also think that India has a high learning curve (or at least it did with me) - one needs time to learn the ropes. The current plan is to save up some money and make my way through western China (Sichuan, Yunnan, etc.), Nepal, and India. And beyond this trip, at some point I really would like to go to sub-Saharan Africa. These are all just plans though - who knows what the future holds.
And what about work? Well, I'm kind of interested in tons of things. I've been on a movie-watching/reading binge since I got back. I actually really enjoy writing but I can kind of already hear my parents saying things like "Don't you already have a career where you make essentially no money (i.e. - music)?" And I'm also interested in yoga and meditation (probably another "no money" pursuit - and yes, full-on Berkeley) and travel (probably not just "no money" but "negative money"). Anyway, I feel like I'm probably gonna move in a different direction it's just a matter of which no-money-making scheme I choose.
Some people have asked me what my favorite place is - this is too difficult for me to answer. I really enjoyed my time spent in Asia and the Middle East - the Middle East may have been the most eye-opening place to visit given all that we hear in the media about it. I found the people to be exceptionally friendly and welcoming. I also really enjoyed Europe but am less likely to go back there (at least for long-term travel) given the expense and that I've already been there a bunch. I feel that 2-3 weeks was enough time to see what I wanted to in Israel and Jordan - they're also expensive. I'm probably most likely to return to East/South/Southeast Asia, Egypt, and/or Turkey - these were less expensive and I feel like there's still a lot for me to see and do in those places. If you're planning a trip, I'd recommend that you check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity
I spent about $1,000 a month. In some places it was closer to $400 (i.e. - India and SE Asia) and in others closer to $1,500 (I have to confess that I went a bit crazy in Israel after having spent 4 months in India and Muslim countries). This figure includes air travel (I spent approximately $2,000) but not storage costs and/or travel/health insurance (will depend on your age, gender, etc.). I'd recommend World Nomads for travel insurance.
Any other tips? Yes, when in Istanbul, stay with a view of the Bosporus; wear sunglasses to the Taj; don't visit the Gangetic Plain in the summer: wear your pack in front of you; and under no circumstances, take bananas with you on a camping trip.
So what do I enjoy most about traveling? Well, I really love the freedom of it.....and particularly the singularity of focus.....not having to concern yourself with tons of things.....ultimately you only need to think about where you're going that day and how you're gonna get there. I also love learning about the culture and history of places through visiting sights, monuments, natural wonders, etc. But I think I enjoy people's stories most of all. I tried to tell them in this blog as much as possible. I was simply fascinated by them - by what made people unique. I also really enjoyed sharing the stories with you. I hope it was apparent that I was trying to create a dialogue and perhaps allow us to think about things that we hadn't thought about before.
I also love the way travel allows you to observe and relax. I think this is something that I (and probably a lot of Americans) need to do a better job with - allowing ourselves to relax. Do we not allow ourselves the time to become aware of all that is around and within us? Are we too caught up in our lives and aspirations to realize all that we already have?
Alright, enough faux-high-minded talk.........you knew I couldn't get out without some random observations. Here they are:
1. Yes, for 2-year-olds, the park is a great place to get sunshine and hence Vitamin D but doesn't it also happen to be the most fun place *ever!*?
2. Are cribs and baby formula largely unnecessary money-making schemes?
3. Answers to some questions in the last blog post - The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge in Florence to survive WWII and Bartolomeo Cristofori is the generally acknowledged inventor of the piano.
4. Do Americans try and make up for a lack of a genuine support network through work, technology, and buying a ton of stuff?
5. Is all life like a mighty river?
6. Is guilt really a good motivator?
7. Are people too tolerant? Are some things not worth keeping? Don't people sometimes confuse agreement and understanding? If I understand the circumstances that motivate a suicide bomber, do I necessarily agree with his/her behavior?
8. Was the financial crisis (among other things) an example of the prisoner's dilemma - what's good for you is bad for everyone else?
9. Should we stick up for ourselves but only use violence if necessary or at all? Should we set a good example but not worry about impressing others?
10. Is avoidance of ill situations important? Does what you do matter? Does who's in charge matter?
11. How much of a part does practicality play in why certain places are the way they are? Is asking the right questions more important than getting good answers?
12. Should we not be like the Bat Man - approaching our fears and overcoming them?
Doing the thing that seems the most difficult? Is standing still sometimes that thing?
13. Is failure part of eventual success? Is inertia a good reason to keep doing something? Should people give up on certain ways of doing stuff?
14. Are the main problems people aspiring and not taking responsibility? When we talk about not giving up - should it be in a general sense?
15. Is it a paradox that Americans cling ever more tightly to relatively young traditions - because we've been rewarded for it? Will this continue to be the case?
16. Should we not wear baggy clothes out of the comfort of our own home?
17. Do people ask too few questions?
18. Did Jews adopt the mantra "One people, one God" because the Middle East was always overrun? Is monotheistic religion particularly "my way or the highway" because it originates from a place of near constant battle? Was and is religion used as a tool to squeeze out the other guy?
19. Did the founding fathers over-correct as a reaction against monarchy and absolute power? Is this part of the reason why we periodically deal with political grid-lock? Or that our government is controlled in large part by corporations?
20. Are family and travel mutually exclusive? Do we really have to decide? Is travel practical? Does it serve a purpose?
21. Does art come from surplus? Should we change how we think about things to control our impulses?
22. Do we still need to realize the importance of diversity - borrowing ideas from those with another perspective? How do we engender diversity while averting violence? Do we need to differentiate between traditions worth keeping and those not?
23. Are we not patient enough with ourselves and others? Should we forgive more than we do?
24. Do people blame their parents too much or not enough? Does it depend on the situation? Do we not take enough responsibility for our actions? Does progress begin with the individual?
25. Do we lose a sense of self as we become more happy? Does this allow us to have a greater capacity to change, evolve, and tolerate?
26. Should we not chill out - do we almost always get to where we need to be?
27. Is spiritual need completely individual - can we learn from other religions and philosophies?
28. Are there not major cultural differences? Do we want a lot of the same things - good jobs, family, etc.?
29. Is it important to have an open and yet critical mind?
30. Is laughing the most important thing?
Whew, so alright! Thanks again for listening y'all. I don't know what more to say than let's just keep the dialogue going. Oh, and go visit New Jersey! So until next time......all the best!
b
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Dan
non-member comment
Thank you
Brian ... Thanks for taking the time to share your insights, questions, and experiences. I feel incredibly lucky to have been a few months "behind" you in taking this journey ... you were more of an influence on our approach to travel than you'll ever know. Hope all is well back in SF. Love you brother, Dan.