An excerpt from this summer...
And this country, one of those many that I have had the pleasure of visiting this summer, was towards the end of my trip. This proved to be more than appropriate, because there is a fascination with hammocks in Cambodia, allowing me to reflect on the entire journey whilst knocking back cheap Angkor beers. In traveling to all of these places, I have seen the best and the worst of Asia. I have seen laughter, everywhere. Toothy grins, children that jump on you only because they want to play with the westerner, the deepest levels of kindness, and a degree of fascination that nearly surpasses my own. Passionate and energetic cities, sleepy villages, man-made wonders, deeply-rooted spiritualism, raging features of the earth such as volcanos, waterfalls, rivers, seas, and oceans, and an effort to tame and modernize all of these things which reflects a level of resourcefulness unparalleled anywhere else on earth. I have, of course, been an outsider, and so I have also at times been a (mostly unsuccessful) target of cheats and scams. These did not deter me. And, bluntly, the good side of Asia has an unbelievable quality: once it pries you open, manages to slip inside you, and causes you to fall in love with its beauty, its people, and its treasures, you can only smile, laugh, and walk away from the bad. Moreover, you can sip on a cold, 30-cent beer while doing it.
After meeting so many amazing people, after taking so many trains to places more foreign than the last, after flying across a continent only to cross my own path again and again, and after breathing in so much humanity, I have grown to know myself more. I have had revelations about what I want (and don't want) to do with my life. I have had immense feelings about the present and the past, and thoughts and dreams about the future--for me, for Asia, for the world. This summer, I have become a great deal more human. And I have been permanently changed. As it has been said, "I am all that I have met." Come visit this part of the world, and you will see for yourself.
No matter where I have traveled, I made a concerted effort to get off of the beaten path and get to know the locals. Most of it was spur-of-the-moment which allowed little time for reflection--but all of it together painted a picture to me that I will keep until my grave:
Timelessly, everywhere on earth, the sun rises. People, rich and poor, wake up and begin their days. And although most face difficulties in life, people, no matter their nationality or ethnicity, collectively choose to push forward, everyday. And no matter what forces, man-made or natural, try to impede this progress, the most comforting aspect of it all lay at the foundation of each breath; it is the truth I have discovered as a young observer of humanity: We are all in this together.
