I have been on the road for almost 5 weeks already - this has been quite a trip/journey.
I left San Diego on the 15th of July for the Crossfit Games in Carson, CA at the Home Depot Center for a weekend of competition. On the 19th I left LA to London where i spent a couple of days before heading out to Copenhagen to coach a Crossfit Endurance Certification. Back to London after that for a few days before heading to Cologne, Germany to compete in the Gay Games. After that i came to my home town of Lisboa, Portugal to finally relax and recharge for 2 weeks before returning to San Diego.
Whooo that's a lot of traveling, i can't believe i have been gone that long - part of me wants to return, and another part of me wants to continue to travel and see the world.
I am truly blessed to be able to do this in my life - be able to pick up and go and spend almost 6 weeks in Europe for the summer, how did life get so good?
When i was in my twenties i did a bit of traveling as well, and i got in the habit of sending out an email to my closest friends sharing with them what i was experiencing, what i was seeing, hearing, etc....This is now my means of communication so that more people can see, read and hear about my adventures.
Exploring different cultures is always a neat experience for me - being in London i felt quite comfortable, and in Copenhagen we were surrounded by people that spoke really good English so that was easy to communicate, but i was surprised in Germany that quite a few folks from there did not speak the universal language of English, i had a tough time communicating on a few occasions.
Being in Portugal I've also experienced a bit of difficulty communicating. I learned Portuguese till 7th grade when i lived here, but when we moved to California i basically stopped speaking it unless it was on my trips to visit. I can speak it, understand it, read it, but at times i find it a bit harder to communicate what it is I am trying to say - or i feel that the flow of the conversation isn't perfect....or maybe it is....
I find that i do a lot more listening here, which in my opinion is a good thing - sometimes i talk too much, and when i am in a position to listen i often learn a lot more about people, what they are sharing and the world.
I really love traveling and observing people from different cultures - its humbling, just when i think that i have it figured out, i realize i have so much to learn still...