Since I last wrote I've been feeling the pressure to more actively prepare for departure. I've bought a bag and selected a few items that I imagine might come in useful. Most of my preparations, however, have taken place in my mind. It's difficult to prepare 'stuff', as in select the things I need to take or buy before leaving, because I'm so reluctant to plan what it is I'm going to do. In my first post I wrote of taking an approach to living rather than planning a series of predefined experiences. This is still largely how I'm thinking about what lays ahead, but I'm also struggling to remain relaxed in being so open-minded. And actually, I think there's good reason to planning some things. Quite obviously, the choices that basically define how we live are not going away. Where am I going to sleep? Who am I going to talk to? These questions have been my preoccupation, and I now have some answers to them - in other words, I've made a couple of decisions that I plan to stick to. First up, I'm going to stay in Amsterdam for a good month or more. Amsterdam is a relatively safe environment for me because I already know the city well. However, there's also plenty happening in Amsterdam that will suprise and intrigue me, so it lives up to the demands I intend to make on the places I live in. Second, I'm planning on camping when the genuine kindness of my friends has run its course. Camping appeals to my back-to-basics ambitions. It also compliments my budget. I've read of a campsite that has a reputation for being a place of constant partying. This could well be an annoying trait for a place in which I hope to get sleep, but it could also be a proper laugh. If any of you fancy a good holiday on a tight budget, bring a tent over to Zeeburg and share the shade with me in May and probably June.
There's another subject I want to raise in this post. I've been thinking about the costs and benefits of contemplating the future. It strikes me that I spend a great deal of time thinking about what will realistically happen in the near, sometimes medium, and occasionally distant future. I'm talking about imagining a day at work in advance, or imagining a meeting with a friend before it happens, or contemplating my circumstances in a year's time. Most of my thoughts of this nature have a negative and pessimistic tone. In contrast, there are times when I try hard to engage with the present, and these times are mostly pleasant and positive. Therefore, it seems reasonable that the 'living in the present' so often advocated is actually a good idea. But what does it mean to live in the present? I'm thinking that it partly means avoiding anxiety about anything that isn't immediately pressing. It may also mean putting effort into appreciating the interest, attraction or humour in every situation. In sum, living in the present encourages us to enjoy what is instantly achievable, rather than betting on hope for future satisfaction. This is nothing new, but worth thinking about nonetheless. What do you think?
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Post 1 - Norwich
In precisely two weeks I'll be riding the ferry across the grey north sea. I'll be heading for Amsterdam and then further afield, although where to I'm not yet sure. The passage to Amsterdam has been arranged for some time but my decision to stay away from England is still relatively recent. I hadn't really thought of going away alone, and in fact had felt against the idea up to now. However, I now feel such desparation to shift my life onto a more enjoyable course that I'm not willing to wait for a suitable travel partner. I do hope, however, that any of you - friends of mine - who wish to join me at any point and anywhere will act on impulse and do so.
It's been very helpful for me to consider the questions asked by friends and acquaintances here in Norwich. Questions such as 'why are you going?', 'where are you going?', and 'what do you hope to get from traveling?' There are no simple answers to these questions. My mind is currently a turmoil of competing considerations and statements. My motivation to leave springs from the conviction that my mind has become dull in this environment. I seldom have new or exciting ideas, and whilst I'm not blaming this on the will of the people around me, I do wonder to what extent new acquaintances will reinvigorate my imagination. I am also aware that I've followed the same patterns of behaviour for several years. Some of these patterns are negative and self-destructive, and almost all are thoroughly boring. That's really it: I am deeply bored with myself.
Accordingly, I've got some ideas about the approach I'm going to take to traveling. I think that having a creative approach is more important than having firm ideas about places and activities to experience along the way, although these decisions will also have to be made. Primarily, I hope to learn a lot about what other people think and how other people live. To do this I'm going to have to be extremely open to meeting strangers, and be quite deliberate in my actions and philosophy. At the end of every day I'm going to ask myself what I've learnt. This blog is, amongst other things, a way to test these thoughts on you too. It also strikes me that there are plenty of people who are taking an exploratory approach to living. These may be people who are living in a self-sifficient farm community, or who organise cultural events, political debates, or discos. The thought of being involved in these things is vastly more exciting than the thought of a menial job in Norwich, so I figure I must head towards these lights and try some other stuff. If you have recommendations for things that I may wish to get involved in, please send them my way.
On a more simplistic note, I have plenty of other reasons for wanting to leave England. Sunshine makes me happy. There's not enough of it here. I want to live where the sun shines. Music makes me happy too, and thus I want to live where music can naturally become a more consistent presence in my days and nights. Norwich isn't exactly flush with places to let loose and dance til morning. This is a crying shame. Furthermore, some foreign girls are really hot, and I bet that a few of them will love the smooth tones of my increasingly east anglian accent. Billy Bragg sings, "I don't want to change the world, I'm not looking for a new England, I'm just looking for another girl." I'm in the que behind Billy.
That's enough for post number one. I don't intend to be quite this formal in the rest of my blogs, but these words largely reflect my current state of mind. I'll write again soon. Please email me some of your own words if you want to.
Alex
It's been very helpful for me to consider the questions asked by friends and acquaintances here in Norwich. Questions such as 'why are you going?', 'where are you going?', and 'what do you hope to get from traveling?' There are no simple answers to these questions. My mind is currently a turmoil of competing considerations and statements. My motivation to leave springs from the conviction that my mind has become dull in this environment. I seldom have new or exciting ideas, and whilst I'm not blaming this on the will of the people around me, I do wonder to what extent new acquaintances will reinvigorate my imagination. I am also aware that I've followed the same patterns of behaviour for several years. Some of these patterns are negative and self-destructive, and almost all are thoroughly boring. That's really it: I am deeply bored with myself.
Accordingly, I've got some ideas about the approach I'm going to take to traveling. I think that having a creative approach is more important than having firm ideas about places and activities to experience along the way, although these decisions will also have to be made. Primarily, I hope to learn a lot about what other people think and how other people live. To do this I'm going to have to be extremely open to meeting strangers, and be quite deliberate in my actions and philosophy. At the end of every day I'm going to ask myself what I've learnt. This blog is, amongst other things, a way to test these thoughts on you too. It also strikes me that there are plenty of people who are taking an exploratory approach to living. These may be people who are living in a self-sifficient farm community, or who organise cultural events, political debates, or discos. The thought of being involved in these things is vastly more exciting than the thought of a menial job in Norwich, so I figure I must head towards these lights and try some other stuff. If you have recommendations for things that I may wish to get involved in, please send them my way.
On a more simplistic note, I have plenty of other reasons for wanting to leave England. Sunshine makes me happy. There's not enough of it here. I want to live where the sun shines. Music makes me happy too, and thus I want to live where music can naturally become a more consistent presence in my days and nights. Norwich isn't exactly flush with places to let loose and dance til morning. This is a crying shame. Furthermore, some foreign girls are really hot, and I bet that a few of them will love the smooth tones of my increasingly east anglian accent. Billy Bragg sings, "I don't want to change the world, I'm not looking for a new England, I'm just looking for another girl." I'm in the que behind Billy.
That's enough for post number one. I don't intend to be quite this formal in the rest of my blogs, but these words largely reflect my current state of mind. I'll write again soon. Please email me some of your own words if you want to.
Alex
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