To return home after a stretch abroad is sometimes more bizarre and even more “culture shocking” than travel itself.
All physical things aside – jetlag, readjusting to food preservatives, etc – there’s just something strange about flying over somewhere you are VERY familiar with (Huntsville, Ala., is above) after struggling to get SLIGHTLY familiar with a different place every single day.
They say that long-term long-distance travelers have a tendency to travel long-term and long-distance over and over again because its difficult to be in one place for too long. Truly, you have to readjust yourself to being in one place day in and day out.
But travel is almost like a fuel for me… but its more than that. I travel and I get refreshed. Life being a sum of one’s experiences, I go observe all sorts of life and take my experiences and learn from them and put them to use to grow.
As a photojournalist it can actually get to be “work” sometimes. When I go out on the road, I am reminded of my passion and my gifts and how incredibly blessed I am to be able to do what I do. It prompts me to want to teach people this stuff, to help them get out there on their own and find out that there is more to life than the 9-to-5 office.
I was speaking to a British guy the other day and he said that he felt some Americans actually limit themselves by chasing the dollar. In their attempt to live outside their means – make the car payment, make the house payment, have the next status-symbol cell phone – they are making it impossible to actually… live life!
Anyways… not meaning to get preachy. Just sayin’…
I’m home. But not for long. In two weeks I leave for Haiti.
That’s gonna be a whole mess of fun. Making the preparations now… so stay tuned.
-Noah D.