Sassy, Smart & Solo

I started this blog 3 years today ago after realizing I had moved to a location filled with non-imaginative aliens. Oh, alright, I was the alien in a group of “normal” fuddy-duddy types and it was either conform or blog. I chose the latter.   

What started as a relatively firm vision in my mind, took off on a path of its own. I’ve been hanging on for dear life ever since, but also thank my lucky stars that there are others out there (students in my classes) who challenge me, make me laugh, and make me feel good about being me… most of the time.

I also intended to write about the many places I’ve traveled to and what I experienced. My travels were smart and solo.  I’m not afraid to say it; I like my own company. Although I traveled alone I wasn’t alone because there were many people I met along the way.

Some of the things I wanted to impart were:

• How to save money for your trip

• Where you should go

• What to do when you get there

• What to buy from the region

• How to travel on the cheap

• How to deal with financial issues while you’re traveling

• How to deal with medical issues while you’re traveling

• How to travel through a country with limited native speaking skills

• Having an awesome time while you’re traveling

• Dealing with ‘real life’ once you get back

Being an idealistic type I also thought a travel blog would give me a calling card for travel magazines, but I only got one assignment after writing fifteen queries on fifteen original ideas.  It made me think—am I the only one who can see the value of this? I hung up the towel when I realized magazines were fading out. That’s been the hardest thing to accept in my life- that the literary world that I once knew and loved and pulsed through my veins is being drained out of our culture.  With every geographical move I ran to the main library, bookstores and music stores to find out what was happening in the local art, literary, and music scene. It’s how I made friends. I never made them at work; I made them by being open and unconventional.          

     


With record and book stores dying it makes this media buff want to find them elsewhere.  Told you I’m idealistic. In my world a society that doesn’t read or talk to each other because they are glued to a computer screen makes for a stale and monotonous mind.  I have so many things to say, so I’ll continue blogging. But now for the big question- what do you think should be included in my blog to encourage more participation?