Why I want to travel (some info about me)

I suppose now that this blog is over a year old, I feel I should start a schedule for updates and redefine the mission statement: This blog is my ramblings, gear reviews, and in the future, where I will post about my travels while I'm out adventuring. Right now, though, I'm going to go through and talk about why I want to travel and why it makes sense to me.

An Effort in Tranquility: what does this mean to me?

According to Webster, Tranquility is "Repose: a disposition free from stress or emotion."

Now, my blog is titled "An Effort in Tranquility" meaning I'm searching and trying to find tranquility. This isn't exactly what I'm searching for, though. I'm searching for a life that leads to the least stress and least worry. I hope for emotion, in any form. But I want to search the world and find where I happen to fit.

I've had some people tell me that I would find tranquility anywhere, through god, or religion, or something. Others have told me that I'm trying to live in a fantasy world and should settle down and have kids. Other students I attend university with tell me to "buy a car and go party or road trip" but those ideas sound boring to me (well, except for the road trip). Some things I've stated before, but need re-iterating, others are things that I've been more recently able to tell people. So, here are some insights into what makes me, me:

1: I've always been nomadic- I've never lived in one place for more than 5 years. Never. I count this as the same house/town. I did live in the mid-Missouri area for almost 7 years, but that involved moving around, small travels, and a year away at school. Living in one place for more than a year or two sounds intensely boring. After about 2 years, I usually end up feeling this deep desire to get away, sometimes causing physical stress. The idea of me living in one spot for the rest of my life and doing the same old thing all the time is as foreign to me as my idea of travel is to someone who's never moved.

2: I'm not religious- It's taken time to really admit this to people, because it's usually taken as an offense. I'm an atheist. I don't believe that there's an afterlife, or that I'll be rewarded for being super faithful, or that there's a supernatural being/spirit/deity watching and judging everything that I do. I believe that only I am accountable for my own actions and live by that principle. . I've lost people that I thought were friends because of my lack of faith/belief. This doesn't mean I wish to eradicate religion, or turn other people away. I've looked into many religions and have the same issue with the supernatural aspects. I've realized that some people need to have something to believe in, this isn't a terrible thing, but at the same time, it's often used as a tool to cause harm to others. I do realize that I'm traveling to an area where religion is a BIG deal, and I will respect that. I am fascinated by other religions, but I do not wish to join them.

3: I do not want children- I'm 24 years old. I'm one of the few members of my high school class that isn't married or has children. I've been asked repeatedly "when are you going to settle down and have some children?" My answer has always been a firm "never." I don't want children, I can't see myself having children, I can't really see myself getting married either. A good friend said to me "you need a girl that is part science geek, part nomad, and maybe part hippie." and I think that friend is right. I doubt I'd really "settle down" but maybe have a travel partner. But marriage or a life long commitment aren't my thing.. maybe when I'm 40? I have no clue. I'll find out later anyway.

4:  I'm afraid of not living my life to it's full capacity- I'm currently in the beginnings of working towards a geology degree. I love geology, I really enjoy the classes and labs, I am fascinated by rocks, minerals, plate tectonics, formations, etc. I'm afraid of the degree tying me down. I'm afraid that working on it will put me in a place where I am required to live in the same place, doing the same thing. I've been told that this shouldn't be the case, but at the same time, I still want that freedom. I know that I could change to an English major with a random minor, or go for something outdoorsy  but the job prospects on that front don't leave me with much of a fallback. What I hope for is to complete my B.S. in geology and be able to do short term work that pays well enough to travel, as well as traveling for work. I want to look into teaching English abroad because it sounds interesting and I receive very good grades in my writing and language classes (despite this blog probably being an editors nightmare).

Anyway, just some (wall of text) details about me. In the future, I'm going to try out a bi-weekly update schedule (or at least once a month, more as I get closer to my departure). so, this post is being written on the 30th of September, but should post on the  of 1st of October  So, if you're reading this before October 1st, then I probably messed something up or changed my mind (which happens a lot)

A Change of Scenery

I'm struggling up a steep hill, having hiked a couple miles already, a glance ahead reveals the loose gravel road beginning to level off. I shift the weight of the backpack holding the food I just picked up at the small store back down the road, adjusting the straps to keep it from sagging. “Only another mile, slowpoke” my friend calls from ahead. “Yeah,” I think to myself, “only another mile.” My shirt soaked in sweat, my asthma acting up, feet protesting every step, but there's a difference, I'm having a great time.

That piece is out of my old journal that was written after my trip to Canada. I wasn't in the middle of nowhere, though it seemed that way sometimes because I wasn't familiar with the area. Looking back at my writings from 2006 and thinking back with fresh perspective, I've seen how much I've grown and changed in five years. I was fascinated by travel back then, though also afraid. Not afraid of the travels or the experience, but of what other people would think of the lifestyle I was desiring even then. Back then I cared so much about what people thought of my choices. I wanted people to approve of whatever I ended up choosing as a career. I was lost and confused and misguided. It took a long time to grow into the person I am today. I'm still growing, I'll never be finished “growing up” mind you. Life is all about the adventure.

A modern explorer. That's what I want to be. No, That's what I AM. I've always looked at Columbus (even though he failed at finding a route to Asia and found Cuba instead, he took it in stride), Marco Polo, all of those other explorers that I can't remember the names of, I've always looked at them with a sense of awe. “Thats what I want to do” I'd always say, but I always thought there wasn't an option for me to do anything of the sort. Now I know that there is in fact exploration out there. Sure, I won't be looking for new civilizations or vast unseen lands, but exploring the already established ones that are out there to see sounds like an adventure. That's what I want to do, that's what I am going to do. I will find a way to do what I want and be open to the various doors that life opens.

This dream is as multifaceted as a finely worked diamond. Each facet different while all together making something amazing. I'm discovering my talents as well as the things at which I am not as skilled. I can do chemistry decently, but not as well as most others. I can do other sciences as well, but not to the degree that many reach. I am learning that I have a penchant for writing and it happens to be something I've wanted to do for a very long time. Along with my dream of traveling the world, I am pursuing my dream to be a writer. I'm willing to do what writing comes my way, I'm not looking to be a hard news writer, but if that's a project available to me, it might be what I do for a period of time. If all I manage to write are tales of my exploits, so be it. I'm not under any delusion that this will be a walk in the park. I fully believe and hope that it will be the challenge I feel it will be.

           With enough perseverance, hard work, and a good attitude, I fully believe that you can accomplish anything. I will be traveling by this time next year. In fact, I know that's what I'll be doing. I'm going to travel and write about my travels. I want to find more inspiration for writing. Things that I can put into a new perspective, have a source for more accurate brainstorms about the fiction novel I've wanted to write. I'm not afraid of danger, new things, or changes. Proof of this would be last year during the blizzard. A friend and I walked about 5 miles (2 and a half each way.) Why? We wanted chili for dinner and the campus store was closed so we walked through the blizzard to the grocery store. We caught a bit of flak for that when we returned. The RA's were not happy about it, but found the situation funny afterwards.

I'm not apprehensive about taking this kind of giant leap into the unknown, it excites me to be honest. This will be a huge step into new territory. Most people in my generation don't do things like this, I find that quite sad. The “wanderlust of youth” isn't entirely gone, but mostly involves small trips within our own country, within the confines of their home state or to neighboring states. I'm not knocking the USA or its sights to behold, I just think that if you're gonna go, go big or go home. I plan on seeing the sights back here at some point in my travels, I just want to get out there and experience the world first hand. I've spent 23 years in the USA, I'd say I'm due for a change of scenery.