I had a friend compare myself with Chris McCandless today. I am currently reading Into the Wild, which I've found to be a very moving book. I must say, I can understand why he can see parallels between myself and McCandless. It seems we are both romantics, believing in our ability to take the world head on and come out with little more than a few scratches. However, my roadtrip is nothing like the journey that McCandless embarked upon. It will last no more than two months. I will not severe my ties to family and friends. In fact, I am searching for more friends, to become closer to a community which promotes extroverts rather than introverts. I also have no romantic notions that I could survive alone in the wilderness, despite knowing how to hunt (having killed many a squirrel in my time, as well as a deer and a turkey).
I feel that we can learn something from people like McCandless though. That maybe modern humans are missing something in our lives. I do very much agree with the quote above. The fact that I have no secure plans for the future is a major factor in my undertaking this trip. My husband, who has a job in his set career path is not coming with me. I believe that I am more similar to Rita Golden Gelman, at least I strive to be.
"I am a modern-day nomad. I have no permanent address, no possessions except the ones I carry, and I rarely know where I’ll be six months from now. I move through the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities." -Rita Golden Gelman
I would love to travel the world, becoming a part of thousands of people's lives. When I read Tales of a Female Nomad, I was inspired. This woman had been living my dream since 1986. The difference being she actually had the funding to be able to travel the world and integrate into other cultures. One of the inspiring things about McCandless was his giving up his fortune and hitting the road as a true vegabond. Penniless, but resourceful. I think that I would love to be a medium of the two brave souls. I would like to be able to travel and make money by my own wiles. Meanwhile, I would like to integrate into other cultures, rather than keep myself aloof and disappear when I've gotten too close.
"The world is calling you. Once you have touched it, your heart will open, your senses will expand, and you’ll discover what it means to share your humanity. And if you stay a while, you’ll also discover strengths and talents you never knew you had." Rita Golden Gelman
I adore Rita Gelman. She really is an inspiring woman. Currently, she has a project called Let's Get Global, which is encouraging teenagers to take a gap year before college and see the world. I think that children, especially in their teenage years, are too susceptible to the thought that the only path to success is through school after school after school. No breaks in between, no time off. I was thrown right into this mindset growing up. By the time I was halfway through college, I wanted to quit. I was tired. School seemed like a waste of time. I felt my time could be better spent volunteering somewhere or just simply traveling and photographing everything. I feel like college would have been easier if I had taken a year off, traveled a little. Done something for myself within another culture.
This summer is my gap year, in a sense. I'm in an in-between phase where I'm not sure what's coming next. So, I'm taking this time to integrate myself fully into the couchsurfing community. It is a sub-culture, in a way. I'm turning down the open road that is the United States and I am searching for answers in a community that I feel I've only broken the surface in exploring. I'm trusting my whole being to something like fate. Hoping that my photographs or my documentary will lead me to the next step; no matter where or what that might be.
Truthfully, I am in no way comparable to McCandless nor Gelman. However, I draw inspiration from their journeys. From the different paths they took and the different ends they met. I hope that I can somehow convince myself that I have lived up to the ideal image they generated in me.
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