In preparing for a couple of months in a country that most people I know have never even heard of (Sao Tome)- and a couple of other places before I really settle, I oftentimes have to give myself the Pre-Travel Talk. It goes something like this: Chances are, wherever I travel, I will most likely make it out alive.
It's pretty simple, but it also has something to do with the fact that I am not too often going to places that no man has gone before. In fact, in pretty much all of these places, someone lives comfortably and happily. In this case, I remind myself that, no matter where I am in the world, I am surrounded by human beings. By family. And we are all in this together.
It's crazy but when you're crazy enough to be me, it works. When I see a McDonalds or some other quintessentially American fast-food chain in a country that seems all but similar to the States, I want to vom. But, as an American, there is a very small, quiet, often insignificant part of me that is, well, comforted. To know that, as different as the world around me might be, at least you can get a double cheeseburger. Not to say that I would ever WANT a double cheeseburger while on my travels in the first place (except if I'm in, say, Hamburg)...but...just saying.
Wherever we go, whatever we do, we are all together on this earth. And if someone in this place can survive, then I can, too. And perhaps I'll even find a way to make it from point A to point B.
And to that I say, Gracies, and Have A Nice Day.
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