Now that Rich and I are back safe and sound in Madison, WI, I thought it might be a good idea to share our retrospective sentiments and reflections. You know — what we learned, our favorite experience, was it worth it… all that jargon. I guess I’ll go first:
A week of USA has already wiped Europe off the map in my mind and turned it into something of a faint recollection, even a dream. Rereading these posts, I can hardly admit to myself that the obstacles we faced, the pain we endured, and the excitement of it all was real. The comforts of home have already reinstalled themselves into my life as normality, and I have reverted back to the typical student lifestyle, with old expectations, easily anticipated days, and the certainty of food, water, and sleep. That’s not to say I haven’t learned to appreciate these things by ten-fold — I can assure you that I have! But there’s something eerie about the way Europe has fled from my memory so quickly and quietly.
There are, of course, things that have changed since the voyage’s commencement. For example, I caught a glimpse of what difficulties may accompany married life (no offense, Rich), as living for so long and at such close proximity to someone can yield certain unwanted tensions. Being within a 10-meter radius of someone for 11 weeks can illuminate certain things about oneself as well; for instance, my own mechanical ineptness compared to Rich’s. But it wasn’t just personal flaws that grew with clarity as the trip progressed, but absolutely everything, by every dimension. Life’s flux of ups and downs – its “wave function” – was multiplied by a constant; the amplitudes of our experiences, whether eating pasta from the pot on the sidewalk or sleeping on a softer-than-usual patch of dirt, were heightened until ultimately I found my lifestyle, as it developed in the adventure, to become something of a caricature of itself.
I should comment also on the psychological implications of constantly moving about. Touring a continent is difficult enough – that much I learned last year, when I circulated Europe by rail with another friend. But biking is a whole other story. Any notion of a “home” or “permanency” was confined to our bags, our bikes, and our bodies; aside from these things, the scenery was always, without cease, changing. This meant a couple things: one, that attention must be paid at all times, and two, never to get too comfortable. Over time, Rich and I discovered that the best approach in dealing with the stress of constantly being on the move was to take each moment at a time. As soon as we began to predict and hypothesize about the future and the possibility of something going terribly awry, things began to fall apart. There was really nothing to do but to enjoy food as it was served, without a thought crossing our minds of where we might manage to find a campsite that night. Thinking too far ahead was suicide. It was stalling and immobilizing. So every experience had a sort of added weight to it, and attention was paid.
Going off a tangent on that last note – I can say with certainty that my attention span increased during the trip. It was exercised uncomfortable amounts for 11 weeks. Thankfully, I can now look back and appreciate this fact. My familiarity with romance languages also increased tenfold. Prior to this trip I had little to no experience with Spanish and Portuguese. I would not go so far as to say I learned much of these languages, but the gradient between languages was evident – and my Italian and (minimal) French improved quite a bit with the ubiquitous Latin reinforcement.
I guess I’ll cut to the chase.
Things I Learned:
- People over age 25 can be trusted with anything. People under this age can be trusted with nothing. This contradicts the 60′s mentality baby boomers may be familiar with.
- Everybody is looking for an opportunity to be friendly. Any chance you give them to do so will only yield good experiences. (This was evident enough from our interactions with people giving us directions)
- Southern Europe is a terrible place to be homeless. (No free public toilets, no free water fountains, no cheap camping).
- Life is not measured in terms of its sheer length or by units of time, but rather stories and experiences. (Intervals of time felt variant and unreliable)
- Being assertive works. Seeking help is the only reliable way of receiving it.
- Food is best when one experiences it as a event. It becomes something almost sacred.
- For every up there is a down.
Favorite Moment/s:
- Enjoying an infinity course meal in Valencia with Rich’s pen pal’s family.
- Sitting on our Pia couchsurfers’ rooftop terrace, smelling wafts of a homemade meal, and watching the sunset over the mountains / any sunsets.
- Dining and drinking well with a couple in Narbonne, France and speaking French all through the night.
- Conversing with Monia in the Book & Bar cafe.
- Any time spent inside a Supermarket.
- Arriving in Rome.
- …more will crop up into my mind once I’ve posted this.
I guess that’s it for Red List Goal #1. See you next time around!
-Michael
