Comments on: Being home: Clarity and bias and confusion

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:52:08 +0000

It is interesting to see you dealing with these questions after having travelled for a while. I am in the process of preparing for a year long trip starting in October. It will probably require me to quit my job. Even though I have prepared by saving money, getting vaccinated, etc, I still think about these same issues you list in your post.
I thought it would be something I wouldn’t have to deal with after (and if) I made the decision to go.

By: brian

brian — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:52:10 +0000

As a former wanderer and college counselor, I had many of the same discussions with family and friends at around the same age. Staying in one place can be just as interesting as traveling all the time. I loved my time in the Pocono’s, and exploring its nooks and crannies was part of the fun of being there. Small coffee shops, rare book sellers, and waterfalls only the locals knew right off the Appalachian trail, etc. I also waited tables for most of my adult life, and took a 60% pay cut from serving to get a new career. It worked out well, but mostly I learned financial aid to get a free Master’s degree. This diploma was supposed to lead to yet another line of work afterward. That didn’t happen, but I’m pleased nonetheless. It’s been nine years; let’s hope I’m happy. Losing the merry chaos of the hospitality industry for an office job was a shock, and moving home to Westchester County was reverse culture shock in the extreme. When I moved away, I promised myself I would never return to my home town, which is as money and status obsessed as any area I’ve encountered. Still, I have prospered in ways I could not have imagined by coming back. These choices weren’t easy, but developing some stability and staying put has its own subtle rewards. As far as your specific questions, I am qualified to answer only one: Grad school may have its merits, but begin with your goal in mind. Don’t go with only the vague notion of earning a degree or using it as a way to force yourself to focus on the future. I don’t know the tuition structure where you would be attending, so I can’t comment on how much it would cost.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:09:00 +0000

I wish I’d discovered your blog sooner. I spent two months in Venice and Bellagio and I hated to come “home” to San Francisco. I’m in my early 50′s and I’ve traveled to lots of destinations but I’ve never traveled the way I’d like to…going for a year or two. I did spend a year in England…wonderful! I was working but met some great people. I’m definitely coming back to read more. Thanks so much!