What Living Abroad Has Taught Me

Long Term Travel Isn't for Everyone
Long Term Travel Isn't for Everyone

In many ways, I consider what I've been doing the last couple months more of living abroad, than traveling abroad. Sure, I've been traveling, taking trips to Nicaragua and other parts of Costa Rica, but for the most part, I've been in one general place. I have a mailbox, my own cab driver, and a regular watering hole where everyone knows my name. My very own Cheers. Last night as a gringo was playing a very bad rendition of Dave Matthews' Crash Into Me, I had a moment of inspiration. I pulled out my notepad and started writing down what living abroad has taught me. Within just a couple minutes, I came up with 8 things, of which most were different than the piece I had done on what traveling through Central America had taught me. It's not the typical 10, or 5, but just 8, because that's what I came up with and I'm not going to fish in a pond there aren't any fish in.

Travel is the Ultimate Educations
Travel is the Ultimate Educations
I'm not in college anymore.
I'm not in college anymore.
I'm not an expat...yet.
I'm not an expat...yet.
Living abroad is not an escape.
Living abroad is not an escape.
I'm a work in progress.
I'm a work in progress.
It's perfectly alright to keep some moments to myself.
It's perfectly alright to keep some moments to myself.
Listening is seeing.
Listening is seeing.

As you probably guessed it, not all these photos are from living abroad, although they are all from being on the road the last several months. Also, photo number one is courtesy of photographer Kirsten Alana.