What a long, strange trip it's been.

Just got back into the states about a week ago, and for the first time in two and a half months, am in a country where I can actually speak the language.  Yay!  Trying to speak cobbled together Spanish (and downright broken German) gives perspective as to how frustrating it is for non-native English speakers to try and communicate here. 

I find it hard to write this post, as it's hard to encapsulate just how, or even if, the traveling has changed me, but I'll do my best. I'm going to put lessons learned from both Germany and Spain in this, even though they were two distinctive trips.

I guess more trust in others would probably be a big part of it.  It seems here in the US we're always told how everyone's out to get you in some form or another, be it to steal your identity, steal your possessions, manipulate you, or what have you.  However, you can actually put stock into trusting strangers because 99% of them are just like you, and really don't have any interest in taking someone else's things.  When in Germany it wasn't such a big deal, as I had others I already trusted with me in case I needed someone to watch something, but in Spain I was traveling on my own and had to rely on strangers quite a few times to watch something (granted it was never my debit card, or passport, or anything like that.  At a certain point it goes too far in the amount of trust you put in strangers, but my pack or something like that?  Sure.) for me and I was approached quite often to do the same for others.  So turning the paranoia that is drilled into you down a notch is an important lesson. 

This may be more of an issue with personality, but another lesson learned was how traveling alone isn't such a big deal, and perhaps is better at times.  Traveling with people you know is fun, but you kind of are insulated from the culture of the country because you can 'retreat' into the familiar.  When you're alone, it's all new and there's no where you can really go to be around something familiar, except to try and find someone who at least speak your language.    That's eventually what I ended up doing and ended up meeting and traveling with people from all over the world.  Spain, Germany, UK, France, Korea, Russia, New Zealand, India, and so on.  All walks of life from the extremely rich to the destitute and you had to figure out how to relate to them all.  So that was an important and rewarding lesson.

Anyhow, just to keep this short I think I'm going to end it there.  Traveling abroad was a huge experience for me, as it was the first time I've ever left the country as well as the first time traveling alone without anyone I knew with me (in Spain).  Very glad I did it and I learned a tremendous amount about a variety of countries and lifestyles.  If one can swing the time and money, it should definitely be high on one's list.  It does come with a hefty price tag though.  $1,000 to even begin your journey isn't very conducive to traveling.  But oh well, will just have to find a way to make it work in the future.