~~okieOLIO~~

each time i embark on a trip that takes me outside the state, whether it be vacation, a mission, or a visit to friends or family, my mother asks me the same question: “are you coming home?” i’m not sure when she started this (mostly) kidding practice. perhaps after i came back from studying abroad with a severe case of the travel bug. or maybe it was during my stint coordinating mission trips when i seemed a little too reluctant to come home from my monthly travel. whatever the case, i’m sure her concern was not without cause. even now that i have a significant reason to return to my home sweet ‘homa, she still teasingly throws the inquiry out there just before i depart on a solo trip.

truthfully, she does know me well. while there are many things i value in oklahoma (namely, family and friends), i can easily see myself living a nomadic lifestyle, soaking up the life, customs, food, language, and culture of a place before moving on to the next. for me, the thrill of a new place is the fact that it’s unfamiliar. each moment throws something unexpected in front of you. this feeling of being a bit off-balance – awkward in communication, unsure in navigation, wary in interaction – is unnerving and frustrating for some, but exciting and energizing for me. once this feeling of being surrounded by unusual or remarkable things passes, i am ready for a different routine.

if i could work out the logistics, my ideal plan would be to live in a different country each year for 10 years. (no way could i envision my life farther ahead than that.) of course there would be extreme flexibility in the actual duration of stay in each location, but in my daydreams, i’ve even begun to build a loose itinerary based around language learning, which is one of the biggest pleasures of travel for the linguist in me. my theory is, if i piggyback the countries that speak the same languages, then i could extend and expand my understanding of that language, while also keeping the environment fresh. but those are entirely too many details for something that is probably not in my future.

every day i strive for contentment despite my wanderlust (i know i have no room to complain about my life), but when i travel my chronic “wanna go somewhere” itch acts up. this long vacation was oh-so-good and oh-so-bad for me at the same time. once again i am grateful for the technology that so vividly brings the world to you.

“not all those who wander are lost.” – j.r.r. tolkien

once again i have learned that there is a name for a syndrome that i bear. this one was actually hiding in the german language, and was delivered straight to my inbox via the dictionary.com word of the day.  (a reminder that, yes, i am a total word geek.) this term describes my affliction precisely:

wanderlust – n – a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about; an irresistible impulse to travel.

1902, from German Wanderlust, literally “desire for wandering”

[German : wandern, to wander + Lust, desire (from Old High German; see las- in Indo-European roots).]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University

i first came down with the “travel bug” when i studied abroad in the netherlands during my junior year of college. i got it bad. interacting closely with people of so many cultures and visiting virtually every country in western europe inflamed a viral outbreak of must-see-the-world that developed rapidly. my condition progressed as i continued to participate in the international community at my university back home, and was exposed to more and more unfamiliar customs, traditions, and lifestyles. the symptoms were unmistakable:  my usual daydreams were replaced by visions of faraway lands, my life goals were modified, my job search took a new direction, and my activities and interests had a shifted focus. i became more deeply affected after i took a job organizing mission trips and found myself traveling several times a month, immersed in the culture of mostly latin america, africa, and china. an additional visit to scandinavia and an extended stay in south america proved that my infection is chronic – i have wanderlust.

i find myself thinking about it all the time. the urge to wander, through the colorful cultures across our united states and abroad, is always present. the fact that the world is now shrinking so swiftly through the internet and also the movement of people is both a blessing and a curse for me. in a sense, having the world at my doorstep (189 nationalities are represented in oklahoma) and at my fingertips (instant news, stunning photos, and descriptive articles online) quenches my demanding thirst, but ultimately just whets my appetite for more, for real immersion.

i believe my affinity for traveling is driven by my impulse to try new things. having a curious nature and an obsession with experiencing things first-hand means anything unknown is something i would be intrigued to explore. it may not become a favorite or even hold my attention for much longer, but i feel compelled to know for myself.

robert louis stevenson said it well when he pointed out that “there are no foreign lands, it is the traveler only who is foreign.” oh, how i love to be foreign. if you like to travel, share your favorite destination below.