Just curious--why are you going? What's your motivation? What do you hope to have gained at the end? Is it good to know these things beforehand, or does it matter? I only ask because I'm still not sure. I feel afraid to form hopes or expectations.
Dan and Madeline, what were/have been your experiences with this?
I am not going to South America (at least not as of right now, though I'm increasingly thinking that I really, really want to see if I can visit y'all over Thanksgiving), nor am I Dan or Madeline. However, I presumptuously think that my experience might help a little bit. I didn't really have any goals before I left for Latvia, aside from wanting to experience something new, which was pretty much guaranteed (and therefore a lazy goal) because I was in a new place. I think that makes it better. Expectations force contrived and unhelpful comparisons in many cases, I think, because we're forced to compare what does exist or what we perceive to exist with our previous expectations, the contents of which may never have existed at all.
Also, though, I'm really bad at having expectations, and this might be my way of rationalizing that deficit.
But, because I never had any concrete expectations or goals, I was never really disappointed, and I could play just about everything by ear. The best experiences that I had were, I think, the results of poor planning.
Expectations are hard because they can never be met... because they're just expectations. Why would you go if what you expected to happen was just going to happen? Then you'd just be able to see the future and that takes away all the fun.
Wanna know what I gained? A perspective of humanity and society. Sounds deep? It is. Every human on this earth is human and all that comes with it. But you'll never understand that til you feel it. Also, soceity is a product of all that makes people human, good and bad. And what is incredible is how freaking similar and different it all is. Every society is so different... but it all fits the same mold... there's music, food, dance, art, work, family, friends, labor, government, the poor, the rich, religion, nice people, mean people, architecture, nationalism, leaders, followers, dress, language, customs. And THAT drives me wild and I want to experience every different cast of the human society mold.
So if you have ANY expectations, expect to experience a little taste of earth's humans' cultural variety.
I have no idea why Iḿ going, I just felt that I should go. Is that stupid? Anyway, its way more fun to just dive in blindfolded...don t think about it too much.
I am not going to South America (at least not as of right now, though I'm increasingly thinking that I really, really want to see if I can visit y'all over Thanksgiving), nor am I Dan or Madeline. However, I presumptuously think that my experience might help a little bit. I didn't really have any goals before I left for Latvia, aside from wanting to experience something new, which was pretty much guaranteed (and therefore a lazy goal) because I was in a new place. I think that makes it better. Expectations force contrived and unhelpful comparisons in many cases, I think, because we're forced to compare what does exist or what we perceive to exist with our previous expectations, the contents of which may never have existed at all.
ReplyDeleteAlso, though, I'm really bad at having expectations, and this might be my way of rationalizing that deficit.
But, because I never had any concrete expectations or goals, I was never really disappointed, and I could play just about everything by ear. The best experiences that I had were, I think, the results of poor planning.
Expectations are hard because they can never be met... because they're just expectations. Why would you go if what you expected to happen was just going to happen? Then you'd just be able to see the future and that takes away all the fun.
ReplyDeleteWanna know what I gained? A perspective of humanity and society. Sounds deep? It is. Every human on this earth is human and all that comes with it. But you'll never understand that til you feel it. Also, soceity is a product of all that makes people human, good and bad. And what is incredible is how freaking similar and different it all is. Every society is so different... but it all fits the same mold... there's music, food, dance, art, work, family, friends, labor, government, the poor, the rich, religion, nice people, mean people, architecture, nationalism, leaders, followers, dress, language, customs. And THAT drives me wild and I want to experience every different cast of the human society mold.
So if you have ANY expectations, expect to experience a little taste of earth's humans' cultural variety.
I have no idea why Iḿ going, I just felt that I should go. Is that stupid? Anyway, its way more fun to just dive in blindfolded...don t think about it too much.
ReplyDelete