World Within a World

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Making the Most of My Time Abroad- at least in this pictureAs I sit writing this blog in Argentina, I’m currently streaming a live show of my favorite band occurring in Philadelphia, booking holiday tickets for a flight to Miami, emailing my mom in NY and stumbling upon a number of other random website- all in the confines of my comfortable air conditioned studio. If Xavier de Maistre lived in today’s world I don’t think he ever would have left the realms of his lair. Everyday as soon as we log onto the Internet we have the ability to literally travel around the world without ever stepping foot outside. We can make our money on the Internet, order our food for delivery on websites, pay our bills, read books, listen to music, check out photos and even communicate with our friends face to face. The technological advances we have created in our common age have made the strange notion of room travel an everyday experience. Why venture to the outside world when we can survive and entertain ourselves simply jump into our pajamas, sprawl out on the couch and veg out to the constant flow of information stemming from the Internet?

I for one believe in Maistre’s notions that travel is what we make of it and it really doesn’t matter to what location we travel to, as long as we are in a frame of mind that is conducive to enjoyable exploration. Sometimes I take for granted the peace and tranquility experienced in my bedroom, especially the studio I live in abroad. The king size bed with a delicate pillow top, the simple side table light that guides my journey’s into the realm of books before I fall asleep, and a dozen other useful items that make my life function. However, on the other hand falling into the trappings of a comfortable living space denies one access to the wonderful world occurring around you. On a beautiful today in Buenos Aires I felt like the heat was too much to bear so I simply escaped the world and spent the entire day in my apartment. Sure I got to download an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, read different news articles from around the world, and work on the job search for when I get back to the US- but I could have been outside, taking a stroll along the ecological reserve or renting a kayak on the river basin in Tigre. My time abroad is rapidly coming to an end but instead of forcing myself to take greater advantage of a city I might never visit again, I find myself doing the exact same things I could be doing anywhere else in the world. And though I’m exciting about returning home, seeing long lost friends, taking my dog for a walk and eating a falafel on St. Mark’s street, as De Botton clearly states in the first paragraph of this chapter---our homes have a tendency of remaining the same.

Now instead of just leaving this writing as a blog post, I think its time I actually followed my own advice, I’m getting the hell of my couch, catching a cab and going out for a couple drinks. Chao. Hasta Luego.