Today, as I was walking to this internet cafe, it started raining. Saying that it rains in Bali is like saying the sun shines in Florida. I'd estimate it rains for at least an hour at least every other day. If you like lush greenery, gorgeous rice terraces, and flowing streams you'd love it here. If you dislike being wet a lot, sticky humid heat, and having to duck under the nearest awning to patiently wait out the rain, well, maybe Bali (and the rest of South East Asia) is not your cup o' tea. I bring this up because one of the benefits of traveling is learning perspective.
We all grow up in a bubble. When I was a younger lad in the K-12 school years, the 20 or so square miles that surrounded me seemed like the world. Sure I visited far-away exotic places such as North Dakota, Minnesota, and California, but by and large my world revolved around a small town in northeastern Wyoming. Then I moved to Montana to attend college. Suddenly my environment, my life terrarium, was drastically expanded. I was exposed to new and exciting phenomena, such as living within a 15 minute drive of a ski-resort, eating university-cafeteria food, and learning how to fence (with swords, not with posts and barbed-wire). The world was my oyster. Then, through a series of events, I found myself signing a piece of paper that would eventually fundamentally alter my world-view, what some psychologists would call a "life map". This document, an enlistment into the United States Military, would set into motion a domino effect that would eventually, in the grand picture, bring me to this little internet cafe in a place called Ubud on a small tropical island in the vast country of Indonesia.
Why am I ranting about all this "life-map" and "world-experience" mumbo-jumbo? I'm not sure myself, actually. It could all be related to a conversation I have in my head every now and then about what to expect when traveling in a third-world country. That conversation involves me telling people that you should expect to see at least one rat and/or cockroach in every restaurant you eat and should expect to find at least on hair in every dish you eat. This advice it not intended to gross anyone out. It is fact. These countries simply don't have health inspectors. Even if they did have health inspectors, they could be paid off. A Balinese friend recently confirmed something I've heard from western expats: the police don't want law and order, they just want your money. Translation: officials can be easily paid-off. One blog I heard of actually stated the proper amount to give a cop if stopped for a traffic violation. Amount: 50,000 Rupiah or about $5.50. Think about that. Imagine you're driving along, enjoying a refreshing cappuccino, when you run that red light. Dang, good thing no cars were coming. But a cop saw you, pulled you over, and saunters up to the driver's side window. You go through the formalities and then say something like, "can I just pay a fine now?". The cop says "sure" and you hand him a crumpled up five-dollar bill along with some loose change. Here you are, officer, go buy a donut for yourself.
Anyway, I've gotten off topic. Perspective is such a powerful virtue these days. And traveling provides you with plenty of it. You can get the same thing from enlisting in the military. I experienced this first hand shortly after I returned from Iraq and had decided to visit a local work-wear store. As I was shopping, a man and woman were shouting at the check-out clerk. They were livid that, on a specific article of work-wear, the amount stated on the price tag wasn't the amount that rang up in the machine at checkout. Were these people wrong? No. They were simply living their lives. To them, in line with their perspective, infractions such as incorrect price tags are serious offenses. Much like a person might get irate and throw things if their cheeseburger has onions on it when they specifically requested no onions. Once again, I'm not trying to judge or criticize. We all operate in our own worlds, with our own experiences, histories, desires, wants, and needs. Here's the point to this whole post: I am thankful for being able to travel, to experience a multitude of different cultures each with their own challenges, idiosyncrasies, and oddities. The culture of New Zealand is far different from the culture of Cambodia. But they both contain aspects that make you stop and think "Hey, that's a good idea. Maybe we should all be living like this". On the flip side, they both contain aspects that make you stop and think "Wow, what a backwards place, I'm sure glad my country doesn't do it like this".
I guess I'm writing this to point out the benefit of expanding one's horizons. We don't have to all pack a bag and head off to some third-world country. How about a book? Reading books is a great way to expose yourself to new ideas and cultures. Maybe a an instrument will challenge you and make you think about situations in a new, beneficial light? If I can see something as inane as waiting out a downpour under an awning as an opportunity for perspective (which is to say, sometimes a little rain provides down time for personal reflection) I have hope that we can all help ourselves be better at...life.
All this talk about self-reflection has reminded me of something I wanted to say. I'd like to thank my parents, Sally and Paul, for providing me with the kind of life that has resulted in me being able to spend a long stretch of time backpacking around the world. Without their hard work and good parenting I would never have been able to graduate high school, survive the military, or make it through college. I am the direct benefit of many hours of blood, sweat, and tears suffered by my parents.
That's all for now. I hope everyone is having fun in other parts of the world. Oh, and by the way, the rain has recently resumed. Guess I'm spending a little more time in this internet cafe.
Pat
