The Choice to Live the Life of Travel

The Choice to Live the Life of Travel

January 14, 2012— by Cha Jones

I was about three month’s old when I took my first trip to Mexico and before I was even a year old I had traveled with my paternal grandmother to see my aunt in Detroit, MI. So, actually I have been traveling all my life. I guess I didn’t have a choice in the matter, I just learned to live the life that has been given to me.

I turned thirty-three years of age two days prior to me moving to Korea to teach English as a second language. On the brink of turning thirty-six I am trying to decide my next steps, but I know that I am in no position to give up this life of adventure and travel. There is so much of the world to see, and I have only taken my first taste of what the world has to offer.

Walking in their footprints

Even though I am not the first person in my family to travel and/or live abroad, I am the first and only person to travel and live abroad without any support system. My aunt traveled to Africa when I was in high school, and I had an uncle who was in the marines who has lived in many countries. However, when you fully submerse yourself into a culture and actually live abroad it is totally different than visiting and/or having any government support backing you. When you live in a country and you become part of their economy you get to see the country just as the locals see it. We actually have a saying for the military who reside in Korea, “We live in Korea while the military lives on Korea.”  There is a huge difference. When you live in the country you use the money, you live in the hosting, you pay bills, you eat the food (well most people do, just not me), you pay taxes, you interact with the people, and even though many military people do some of the things I’ve listed, the biggest difference is that they still have a safe haven to return to, the military base, where they can get everything they need and want just like living in America.

Sunrise Peak, Jeju Island, South Korea

Being an inspiration for others

I will never forget when I took my first vacation in Korea. During my summer break a co-worker and I went to what Korean’s believe to be their Hawaii, Jeju Island, which is a decent size island just southwest of the Korean peninsula. It was a wonderful trip.

On our second day we decided to take a day tour which took up to a place called Sunrise Peak. Sunrise Peak is about a twenty minute climb up the side of a small mountain. The hike included walking in the pouring rain, up some very narrow and steep steps. As I took each step I thought about all the people whom I was carrying on my shoulders, the people who would never leave their cities, states, and not to mention their country. I was taking these small steps in a foreign country for all my relatives and friends. Even the pictures I took were more for those whom I would be providing a small glimpse into another world. It’s my hope that as I venture out of my comfort zone, I not only open a window to the world of travel, but that I am able to inspire so many more people to do the same.

Making the choice to travel

In America, most people travel on vacation and many people don’t really travel outside of the popular tourist spots because of time and/or money. For me, I believe it was my destiny to travel. I have lived in all the American cities that I have ever desired to live in, and I have actually been to thirty-nine of the fifty states as well as Puerto Rico2x. I simply love traveling.

At the age of twenty-five I thought that I wanted to settled down and do my part by buying into the whole “American Dream.” So, I bought a house and started a business, and lived a semi-stable life for about four years, but there was always something missing... a void to travel. In the four years I was decorating, throwing parties, planting seeds and watering grass, but I was also unfulfilled. The only time I was able to travel was on my birthday to Miami, FL and to visit my mother in Nebraska. Other than that, I was too busy trying to secure my next check or making sure I could keep up my investment, all while thinking to myself, “Is this what they call the American Dream?” more like, “Suffering in contentment.”

However, I remember my first trip to Maui when I was eighteen; I told my aunt that I should be a nomad and island hop. Aren’t we so perceptive in our youth? If only I had known then what I know now, I would have followed the dream that I wrote out on the napkin while sitting on the beach whale watching. At eighteen, I had a plan and it involved the adventures of traveling, and a little hustling, but that wasn’t the important part. The point of the matter is that in my own little way I knew that I was suppose to go places, see things, and experience what this huge world has to offer.

So, How Do You Date While Living Abroad?

February 16^, 2012, Cha Jones

You notice this nice looking guy and he notices you, so what’s next?

Many people who move abroad are only going moving to a country for a short stint like six months to a year. If you are teaching abroad, then many contracts are yearly and after the initial year is up you are able to renew your contract or move to another employer.  So, I guess the question is, “Would a relationship work if it’s just temporary?

I interviewed a young lady a few months back and I recall her telling me that she is in no way thinking about a relationship because, “No one really knows where they’re going.” That makes sense to me because when I first moved to Korea I had no idea that one year would turn into three, so I wasn’t actually looking to be in a relationship. However, I was willing to be open to all possibilities.

Issues with dating while abroad

One of the issues I have seen with the dating scene while living abroad, in particularly when the military is in the country, is deceit. I have found that many people are reinventing themselves when they move abroad and for many military people they are on extended vacations from reality. So, the issue becomes the question of “What is fact and what is fiction?”

Some people only want someone to be with while they are on their assignment, and I guess that’s ok as long as they are truthful about the situation. Many times military people, male and female, have spouses back home, and I have seen and heard of people lying about their situations, when in fact they have entire families at home waiting for them. Now, I don’t agree with it, but as long as all parties are aware of the situation, I feel that adults can determine the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. However, I totally disagree with anyone being deceitful about their marital status.

Letting chips fall where they may

On the flip side of the coin there are many people who move abroad and find themselves in a relationship that they never intended to have. We have all met those couples who said, “It just happened.” They were out and about and stumbled upon the person that they fell in love with and now they are a couple. There was no desire to turn a temporary situation into something permanent, but at the same time they were both willing to allow things to be what they were going to be.

I have met many people who moved abroad just to have a change in pace and one day they met someone that they were interested in, became good friends, and eventually fell in love and got married. I actually have seen this happen on several occasions. I have even met people who were dating several people and not interested in being in a long term relationship, and then they met someone that made them change their minds. Some people come with the intention to stay a short time and meet someone who makes them want to become permanent citizens, so it’s very possible that fate changes all plans if you are open.

Looking for love

Now, we all have met someone who is fixated on being in a relationship. You know, one of those people who are looking for the next best thing and always would like someone to introduce them to your friend who is single. Well, when you move abroad those people will be there. I personally think that being in a relationship is something that happens naturally, but hey I’m single and some of the people who are getting married this year were put together by a match maker, so what do I know? Living abroad doesn’t change any of that.

Love is universal

I guess, when it’s all said in done what happens next after you notice the nice looking guy and he notices you all depends on what both of you want, and it really doesn’t matter where you are in the world as long as you are on the same page. So, is dating different when you live abroad? Sure it is, but I think that for the most part it’s universally the same. When two people have an understanding about where they are in live and they are clear on what they want, then I don’t think that where you are in location matters. If you are looking for a long term relationship, then I think you need to be flexible and very honest. And if you aren’t you need be equally honest. However, I believe that if you want to find true love while back packing across the world it is possible.  All things are possible if you are willing to be open to the possibilities.

Tips on dating while living abroad

1. Be clear on what you want
2.  Be honest and make sure the person you are dealing with is being honest (can be difficult, but ask questions)
3. Be open to dating
4. Don’t limit your self
5. If it didn’t get you what you wanted at home, maybe you should do something different
6. Have fun and enjoy the process 

The Top Ten Reasons I Love Traveling

The Top Ten Reasons I Love Traveling

February, 2012—Cha Jones

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day I thought it would be nice to look at why I LOVE to travel.

1.       I can see the world from a different perspective. As the old saying goes “Perception is Reality.” When you get to see a place through your own eyes everything you ever heard or read begins to get challenged based on what you are seeing first hand for yourself. So, it is my thought that it’s not real until you have discovered it for yourself. 
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2.       Humanity and putting a face on the people of the world. This is a run-on of #1. We all have heard about the people in said country (Iran, Zimbabwe, North Korea, Egypt, etc.), but if we have never met them, touched them, or communicated with them, then unfortunately we tend to see them as just faceless creatures we've heard about. However, when you actually get the opportunity to meet the people in person they become real and your compassion for how they are treated, living, and for them as whole begin to change…it becomes AUTHENTIC. If you could see the starving children in an underdeveloped country, then they wouldn't be a commercial story, they would become conversation that has heartfelt meaning behind it, and just maybe the world would change.

3.       Beauty is in the eye of its beholder. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. So, if you go the beach and feel the sand sifting through your toes and you smell the ocean as the warm breeze tickles your nose, how many more words would it be worth to describe your experience? Traveling to the place gives you so much more than the photo could ever give you. Sure, pictures are wonderful, they help you remember, but the experience of being and seeing firsthand leaves an impression that will live with you forever.

4.       I love to EAT!!! Now, I know you can feel me when I say AUTHENTIC. There is something very different about eating at an authentic Mexican restaurant rather than a good ole commercial Tex-Mex restaurant. The Tex-Mex can’t even compare. Now, I happen to love Tex-Mex, so don’t get me wrong. However, I would rather eat authentic Mexican food any day of the week. So, when you travel you get the opportunity to eat the food the way the people of that particular area intended for it to be. Remember, real is always better than the replica anyways!

5.       Learning experience. When you travel and you visit a different city, state, or country you learn so much more than you could ever learned reading, hearing about it from someone else, or watching a movie, documentary, or television show. So, I encourage you to get out and travel and you will come back with so much more knowledge, which will also allow you to teach other people who will not get the same opportunity.

6.       Expanding your thought process. We live in a world that can be very narrow, but when you travel you get to experience things that will hopefully enlighten how you think or see things. Sometimes you even get to dispel rumors about places that you have believed all of your life. Traveling opens the door to many new beginnings.

7.       Rest and relaxation. I love living in the city and I really love having many options, but sometimes I just want to rest and leave all the worries of life behind. Traveling allows you the opportunity to do that. If you take a day or two to sit on the beach and just be, then everything that you do in your day to day hustle and bustle becomes worth it. Relax and take a moment to smell the roses. When you take this time away from everything that you think you must do, you then learn to appreciate life and you also get the opportunity to rejuvenate your thoughts and prepare to move forward.

8.       Pampering. Now, you should always take the time to pamper yourself no matter where you are, but some of my best pampering has been done while I was traveling. When you go on a nice vacation it’s always a good idea to go to the spa and get pampered. Make sure you eat the best of the best and experience the best parts of the place that you are visiting.

9.       Interesting stories. Life is fascinating, well at least mine is, and when you get the opportunity to travel and see different places, meet interesting people, eat really good food or bad food, do things you wouldn't normally do, and just live without boundaries, then you tend to develop the best life stories ever. Remember, everyone is not going to take a chance, veer off the beaten path, or will be able to afford the opportunities to travel, so your stories allow others to vicariously live through you. Live and then tell about it!

10.   I get to reinvent myself through my experiences. It’s great to go see a different place, meet new people, eat new foods, learn something different, and create lifelong stories to tell future generations, but one of the reasons I love traveling is that I get to reinvent myself through the places I've been and the things I have done. When you travel, look at it like you’re a snake shedding layers of dead skin you've been lugging around for years. What you may have brought to a situation can be shed by being open to seeing, feeling, and being in the moment. At home in your own environment you may have become complacent, but when you go somewhere new you have the chance to try something you have been dreaming about. If you don’t like who are anymore, then you can become someone knew (as long as you aren't lying to others or yourself). Reinvent yourself and find the courage to live life outside the box, because inside the box there isn't much room for living at all.