It was almost two years ago that I was able to travel to South America with my friends, Attila, Don Julio, John Howard and Sam Haffner. Two years ago! In travel man's time, that almost a century ago! I failed to live up to my own standards and thus I have failed you. I failed because I have taken on more debt that I don't or didn't need. I acquired more stuff to live by and as much as I felt I was being indifferent from everyone else, I wanted to be accepted. Being accepted is a natural way of being human and its only natural that I wanted to be closer to the people I can truly call, friends. Even with the close friends I have made, its time for me to be honest. Over the years, I have made a life for myself, of being always single, available for the next journey and while I am not going “on world traveling” I ride my bike around town, even in the 115 degree heat. In short, I must leave. My good friend, Attila left less than a day ago for Ecuador. His return at this moment is unknown. I want to relive that feeling of moving along in the world without time or will to return home. I want, however to travel back to South America and teach English. The journey that I have planned out will be first going to Colombia. From Colombia to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. After Argentina, I will move over to Montevideo, Uruguay. There, I will spend a great time not only teaching English, but traveling around this small country and visiting small towns along the southern coast of Brazil.
La Legione di Resistenza is not about a history about me or what my friends or what we accomplished once before. We are making history, which I want you to be a part of. This is about the life of who we are! As much as I have shared many of my pictures and blogs entries of travels and adventures; simply not traveling and being here is not enough for who we are as travelers. Just recently, I tried to apply for a position with STA travel as a Travel Expert. I felt that this position would be perfect for a person like myself and the idea of helping others to pursue the passion of traveling would be far rewarding. Sadly, I somehow did not meet to their criteria. It bummed me out a bit, but I had to realize something that I have known for a long, long, long time that no company, can give you the freedom that traveling can. I have worked for airlines, hotels, lodges, resorts and many so-called places of leisure; to only find myself trapped working behind a desk or taking food up elevators and having credit cards thrown at me and not having any manager approving my time to sejourn away from work.
This travel journey, my friends have been planned since I was as young as 8 years old. I am glad to have you all as my friends and somehow I knew that one day, I would meet special people like you all. Even our friendship and the bound we share, I knew even back then, that money would be a factor into the matter. Even with or without money, the passion of going on travel adventures will never stop. Its not the travel bug, its my life! As much as, I want to have many of you to come along with me and I believe some of you will, but the sad truth is many aren't able to come along for various of reasons. Even with these real-life realities, I still ask you to give yourself a chance and go and try it out. I cannot be that person who works more than 9 to 5 or working four ten hour shifts or worry about the rumors and gossip or who's doing who and what you have heard, which I will admit, I have enjoyed the DL of gossip at times. But after seeing good people being fired for stupid reasons and watching their lives being destroyed by not having another job, or having the unemployment office denying their benefits, its just made me beyond angry and frustrated but sad to know that these good people deserve better in life. Soon, I will become one of these people. I too will soon loose my job due to circumstances beyond my control.
La Legione di Resistenza, we must get back to our roots! We cannot continue to feed the work-machine! We cannot be measured or judged by work-managerial metrics! We are free to wander and experience the vast nature of this world. We are language, we are culture and new friends await for us. Why are we wasting time? 6 months to a year, let's meet at the summit and make new journeys and adventures. I await for your reply.
La Legione di Resistenza
3 comments:
I feel your pain lately... and it has been 17 months since I have left the country for a global trek and felt the smooth outer shell of my passport in hand having been freshly stamped... I toil long hours as a government contractor and wonder when adventure stalled.... I have a larger goal in mind that may fall like a house of cards next month to spring my wings from work jail and fly around free again... but I'm giving my all towards it anyway...
Confucius once said "choose a job that you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life".. work is an undeniable reality to our lives though we have more control over it than most of us are lead to believe.. go do what you love, the universe will provide for you! How it will sometimes comes as a mystery though the inner joy of being an active player in your own life's wanderings is to important a role to forego for the cubicle and pension.. and surprisingly the money and other accouterments often come in larger quantities when venturing too.
Big hugs from one emaciated traveler to another... the trail has not grown over.. only become dense enough to require a machete and a sturdy pair of boots... :D
My mom sent me this email today:
Look..i no u dont want 2 hear this, but
Y dont u instead call red cross or other organiztion that wk helpin people lik the people in haiite n appli 4 a job, becuz u cannot b stayin at peoples homes if u hav no money, n expect them 2 tak care of u.
U need 2 stop useing people n stop campin out in peoples homes who wk hard 2 maintain themselves n their families. U seriously need 2 grow up n get a life n get a JOB, 2 sustain ur self n ur life style.
I thought about it very carefully, n i am not helpin u by allowing u 2 tak advantage of people u care nothing about, n i beleive that i am not doin u any good by helping u play these games u play. If u want 2 go to PR, get a job n sav money, jus lik everybody else has 2. U hav alot of great qualities n u hav alot 2 giv, n im tired of U wasting time n ur mind, by running from 1 country 2 another. This life style, is unhealthy, unstable, unsafe n arratic. U can end up in jail or dead the way ur going. I do not want 2 b part of that. Enough is enough.
This wasnt an easything 4 me 2 say 2 u, n I no that u must b very angry at me right now 4 havin said this 2 u, n u probaly wont b talkin 2 me 4 a while, but 1 day u wil understand that i am sayin this becuz..
I care alot 4 u n I love u. I really hope u understand.
SIDNEY, Attila's journey has definitely inspired me to start "playing my own role in my wandeings" and education too. Enough is Enough. Fuck the people who dont understand the traveler's lifestyle. I too have been guilty of criticizing others and trying to impose upon them what I have been taught is stability & healthy, but its false. No more will I allow the sheep of consumerism taunt me from behind their cages - cages lined with SUVs and brand name clothing; with paychecks and credit scores. No longer will I wait for credit card bills to be paid or for people to understand the need to know the world in the way we do. I declare here and now a lifestyle of working to live, NOT living to work. Take your journeys! And I will see you on the path of life, not the path of wage-slavery!
Anjuli and Geneva!
your words are beyond kind and provided me some comfort, I thank you both. We are language, culture and adventure. We must find our roots and get back out into the world. This journey is not about comparing stories or showing who has more entry stamps over the other. We are equals, since we share the same bound.
Post a Comment