I wrote this while shivering in line for a horribly nauseating, yet nonetheless extremely satisfying, whale watching tour.
July 7. Any place can be small and personal once you let it. The independent places that have all their shit together seem intimidating because they've got no missing puzzle piece whose role you can assume. But once you've walked the same block a few times and learned the places and faces you'll see around the corner, a place begins to shrink down to its most endearing traits.
The process of personalization with the transient elements of my experience - namely, the other backpackers, is also interesting. Knowing me, it's not too surprising that in a short span of time I've found so many people who it's really hard to say goodbye to. I am surprised, though, how quick people can be to share personal details of their background. So the question is - do we share our personal details because we feel anonymous or because we need to feel less anonymous? Do we freely disclose information because it doesn't really matter, or because we need to feel more connected when we are taken out of context a gazillion miles from home?
I did a lot of thinking on this topic and now I'm going to leave it to you to figure out your personal conclusion. How long do you think you could travel alone while remaining anonymous and only playing very brief roles in other travelers' stories? What information and personal anecdotes would you feel comfortable sharing with people and what would your purpose be in doing so?
July 7. Any place can be small and personal once you let it. The independent places that have all their shit together seem intimidating because they've got no missing puzzle piece whose role you can assume. But once you've walked the same block a few times and learned the places and faces you'll see around the corner, a place begins to shrink down to its most endearing traits.
The process of personalization with the transient elements of my experience - namely, the other backpackers, is also interesting. Knowing me, it's not too surprising that in a short span of time I've found so many people who it's really hard to say goodbye to. I am surprised, though, how quick people can be to share personal details of their background. So the question is - do we share our personal details because we feel anonymous or because we need to feel less anonymous? Do we freely disclose information because it doesn't really matter, or because we need to feel more connected when we are taken out of context a gazillion miles from home?
I did a lot of thinking on this topic and now I'm going to leave it to you to figure out your personal conclusion. How long do you think you could travel alone while remaining anonymous and only playing very brief roles in other travelers' stories? What information and personal anecdotes would you feel comfortable sharing with people and what would your purpose be in doing so?
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