Amigos

June 9, 2013   

Allan, Jo, Colleen, Ob, myself & Mecca

Before this journey I went through a drastic period of personal growth. Spending two years discovering the person I would like to be, I graduated college and got married. During that process I weeded out dead weight from my life…i.e. people that brought me down, bad habits, and unneeded stress.  Since leaving the states my growth has continued, which I expected. I did not expect to strengthen friendships with those at home from so far away, nor did I expect to make new lifelong connections with people in Europe, but that is exactly what happened. 

Graham & Dorothy

                          

Indian Cuisine for Our 1st Time

The locals we have become friends with have shown us what genuine kindness really is! They have taken us out to eat, welcomed us to their homes, invited us to their birthday parties, trusted us to watch their children, and introduced us to their friends and family throughout Europe, to ensure we have the best travel experience. They have taught us first hand that your profession, your age, the language(s) you speak, and where you were born does not matter.

Pool Party & Cookout 

Drinking at our local
watering hole.

 In America when you meet someone new, aside from their name, the first thing most people ask is, “What do you do for a living?”  Who a person is, is not shaped by how they earn a living! Now when I meet someone for the first time, I ask “What brings you here?” It is a great way to find out why a person is either at the same bar you happen to be at or why they are in the same city/ country that you are in.  It opens discussion to flow in a variety of directions, not narrowing the conversation to how they put food on the table or how they have means to travel. It eliminates the arrogance one feels they need to put on when defending how much money they have in their bank accounts and allows two humans to talk about a simple commonality the two strangers currently share…i.e. being in the same place at the same time.  In some situations profession is eventually talked about but it is not the basis of the conversation.  Give it a try sometime and see how different your conversation is! You will notice that it takes people off guard, making them think in more about their answer.  Steering them away from their got to prewritten script about who they are based on what they do for money. 

You are as good as the company you keep! The more good people you know the greater your chances are for new experiences, making real connections with people, and further developing your circle of friends.  It takes one genuine interaction to produce more opportunities to branch out and     meet new people.