It's cliche. Someone goes on a long trip, more than a month or two, and comes back talking about how changed they are or how they've chosen to no longer eat anything grown using man-made tools. I didn't leave for this trip necessarily wanting to be that person. Perhaps some do it to get attention. Or they think it's cool to come back with new, seemingly commonsense habits or beliefs that have revolutionized their lives. Or they are just that impressionable. Either way, I wasn't going to be that person. But I guess you can't enter another culture or be away from your own norm for that long and not pick up on the best of what you see or rethink the way you do things that you've done for so long.
What impact did 3.5 months away in a few different cultures have on me? This is what has changed for me:
1
I walk more. On the trip I would go for a long hike then come back to my campground, clean up, then leave the car behind and walk to town for dinner. The walk would take me 15 minutes, but I'd still do it. Before I left for the trip I'd always wanted to walk the 15 minutes to the grocery store or to other errands, but never had the time... or at least that's how I felt. Now it's easier to leave the car and walk to wherever I need to go.
2
I'm more confident, especially when it comes to meeting and talking to strangers. Back in the D.C. area you tend to just brush elbows with strangers, not really talking to them or following up with them. In New Zealand, I was constantly meeting and talking to new people. There was a culture of getting to know people and connecting with them again for hikes or to hangout later. I got used to chatting with new people or hanging out with them after a good hike. While I realize that's not how it works back home, it's made me a little more outgoing when meeting strangers.
3
Nature in my neck of the woods doesn't wow me like it used to. Maybe this will change. When you see huge mountains, and waterfalls pouring off those mountains, and glaciers, and geysers, and aqua-colored ocean beaches.... it makes it hard to be impressed with much else after that.
4
I'm more comfortable with the idea of walking into a new country knowing no one. In the past I'd wanted to visit other countries, but not alone or without knowing someone from there. I didn't want to go in naive. After visiting three countries, two pretty much alone, I'm more confident in traveling to new places by myself. I'll do my research, and there are places I won't be so confident about, but I'm less intimidated by strange countries now.
5
I'm a little more courageous. I tend to be a wimp overall. But I find myself a little more courageous then before. I still won't bungee jump, but there are things I'd do now that I wouldn't have before. Maybe striking out into the unknown alone has helped with this? Dunno.
6
I want to travel more. So much to see. I spent 2.5 months exploring NZ and there was still more to see and places I could have easily stayed and explored longer. And that's just one small country. This is a big world. There is so much to see and experience still. I now have a hunger for those new sights and experiences.
7
I like ice cream more. I kind of liked it before. But they had good ice cream in NZ. When I was in a place for a while with good ice cream, I'd visit every night while I had access to it. I kind of trained myself into liking it more than in the past. Thank goodness for the first item on this list.
8
The world seems bigger. I spent over 2 months exploring a country that is relatively small. And there was so much to see! And I didn't see it all. And that's just one small country. There is so much more out there and it's so different from where I've already explored. So many more cultures, foods, smells,... the world is full of variety. I can't hit up 7 continents in 7 months and feel like I've seen the world. That overview would be missing out on so much. The world is big. So much to experience. So many people to meet and learn from. A lifetime is not enough.
And yet I feel like the world just got a little smaller. Less unknown out there. I now have experience with a few more countries and cultures in another part of the world. I recognize places I've visited in pictures I see of New Zealand, I have personal experience with some cities I hear about in Australia. My sphere of experience has expanded a little and now the world seems a little less.... foreign.
What impact did 3.5 months away in a few different cultures have on me? This is what has changed for me:
1
I walk more. On the trip I would go for a long hike then come back to my campground, clean up, then leave the car behind and walk to town for dinner. The walk would take me 15 minutes, but I'd still do it. Before I left for the trip I'd always wanted to walk the 15 minutes to the grocery store or to other errands, but never had the time... or at least that's how I felt. Now it's easier to leave the car and walk to wherever I need to go.
2
I'm more confident, especially when it comes to meeting and talking to strangers. Back in the D.C. area you tend to just brush elbows with strangers, not really talking to them or following up with them. In New Zealand, I was constantly meeting and talking to new people. There was a culture of getting to know people and connecting with them again for hikes or to hangout later. I got used to chatting with new people or hanging out with them after a good hike. While I realize that's not how it works back home, it's made me a little more outgoing when meeting strangers.
3
Nature in my neck of the woods doesn't wow me like it used to. Maybe this will change. When you see huge mountains, and waterfalls pouring off those mountains, and glaciers, and geysers, and aqua-colored ocean beaches.... it makes it hard to be impressed with much else after that.
4
I'm more comfortable with the idea of walking into a new country knowing no one. In the past I'd wanted to visit other countries, but not alone or without knowing someone from there. I didn't want to go in naive. After visiting three countries, two pretty much alone, I'm more confident in traveling to new places by myself. I'll do my research, and there are places I won't be so confident about, but I'm less intimidated by strange countries now.
5
I'm a little more courageous. I tend to be a wimp overall. But I find myself a little more courageous then before. I still won't bungee jump, but there are things I'd do now that I wouldn't have before. Maybe striking out into the unknown alone has helped with this? Dunno.
6
I want to travel more. So much to see. I spent 2.5 months exploring NZ and there was still more to see and places I could have easily stayed and explored longer. And that's just one small country. This is a big world. There is so much to see and experience still. I now have a hunger for those new sights and experiences.
7
I like ice cream more. I kind of liked it before. But they had good ice cream in NZ. When I was in a place for a while with good ice cream, I'd visit every night while I had access to it. I kind of trained myself into liking it more than in the past. Thank goodness for the first item on this list.
8
The world seems bigger. I spent over 2 months exploring a country that is relatively small. And there was so much to see! And I didn't see it all. And that's just one small country. There is so much more out there and it's so different from where I've already explored. So many more cultures, foods, smells,... the world is full of variety. I can't hit up 7 continents in 7 months and feel like I've seen the world. That overview would be missing out on so much. The world is big. So much to experience. So many people to meet and learn from. A lifetime is not enough.
And yet I feel like the world just got a little smaller. Less unknown out there. I now have experience with a few more countries and cultures in another part of the world. I recognize places I've visited in pictures I see of New Zealand, I have personal experience with some cities I hear about in Australia. My sphere of experience has expanded a little and now the world seems a little less.... foreign.