Where have you been? That’s the first thing I want to know when I meet people. What were the moments you most remember while traveling? How did travel change you? However, I live in a part of the world where most social encounters begin with a person’s name, their occupation and place of residence. It’s awkward to fit my travel questions in. People are suspect. Why do I want to know this? These people have retained some semblance of a private life. People are hesitant. They’ve been bored listening to other people tell their travel stories. They don’t want to be boring. People are hurried. They don’t have time for something that requires them to pause and reflect. I understand, but still I want to know.
I want to know how traveled changed you because I notice the changes in myself. When I walk into a room I feel a bit different from everyone else. It’s not that my physical appearance makes me stand out. I’m not unusually tall or small, beautiful or ugly. I’m socially competent, not an extreme introvert or extravert. What makes me feel different is where I’ve been.
Chances are that no one in the room has sailed on the Ganges River in northern India in a small wooden boat powered only by two young men with bamboo oars. The primitive boat, the water, the temples, the campsite, changed me into someone who knows first hand this part of the world. It woke me up. You don’t have to travel far to experience this feeling. When I walked down a long road seldom used by pedestrians in the town where I live, I learned that walking is very different from driving even when on familiar ground. Afterwards I felt different among my neighbors and towards my town. I am not alone in this feeling of transformation through travel.
