“Fantasy Land”
One of the guests told me last night, “Seriously, this place is amazing. You’re living in a Fantasy Land. Six months, one year, whatever…definitely do this as long as you can before going back to Real Life.”
In cartoons from my childhood, I remember seeing a character become so angry that their face transitions from white to tomato-red. They grit their teeth as their eyes redden and bulge out of their head, steam starts coming out of their ears, their blood boils in fury.
That was me after hearing this comment. Fantasy Land? Really? I must admit I didn’t have the best impression of this traveller to begin with. A lawyer from Denver, he’s the type that brags about spending $13,000 on carpets in Istanbul and then complains about the price of the beer at our bar ($4.00 for a half liter). His arrogance and condescending manner is felt long before he ever opens his mouth.
This topic of conversation has become a bit of a sore spot for me lately. I do understand that working at a hostel bar without much of a “plan” probably seems like I’m trying to escape reality. To him, this looks like a hiccup in my career path. But please, let’s not forget that this IS my real life. This is the path I deliberately sought out and desperately fought for. This is MY dream and I’m making it come true.
Okay, that’s enough. Thank you for letting me vent.
WanderingByChoice 
Some one once told me that its not in the nature of Americans to travel? I was not so sure, as I think it human nature to explore our limits.
But ‘someone’ said, Americans tend to feel that traveling like you are, Is escaping something? where as most people we meet from Europe (and I had to agree) felt that the places traveled and experienced will only build on your very character and future.
What you are doing is amazing. not a fantasy land, real life, with real people, its all out there.
Go get it.
May 29, 2011 at 3:57 am