When I go back to the states, I don’t seem as motivated to take photos as I am in Kyrgyzstan or other places. I guess it’s because everything is too familiar (and anyway, I spent most of my time in front of a TV bigger than I am, watching Law and Order re-runs). So out of more than two weeks in the states, the only photos I have are from a day trip to the Jersey Shore.
Yes, I’m from Philadelphia, so we call it “the shore”. I ate a cheesesteak and ice cream but unfortunately couldn’t handle any of the other obligatory boardwalk treats (funnel cake, water ice, etc). I gawked at everything like a foreign tourist and tried to capture some of this true Americana feeling, so I could bring it back to Bishkek with me and maybe remind myself every once in a while that this…
…this is kind of part of who I am.
Just a little bit though.
It’s odd how you fight with yourself when you have been out of the Country for so long. You go back believing in yourself that you are still American and yet when the wheels come down and you land on the runway in DC, you realize, you are more a foreigner now than you were last time. The longer you stay “over there” the more you realize it’s just like any other Country. You also realize that we Americans have a lot of petty issues when compared to the rest of the world and when someone asks you what it’s like, you try and explain, but you see it’s falling flatly on the ADD person in front of you who is texting someone while “listening” to you. I am glad I am away and I am glad it will be that way in the future to. I think you reach a new level in life when you see outside the box and see the rest of the world as equal to or better then “home” and then you really see how endless the possibilites are. What I got from this artlice is that you have that level now, and you see the US as a person you used to be and not the person you are anymore.
Hello! I ran across your blog while collecting images for my tumblr. I long ago had a Kyrgyz travel blog and to keep up to date with current events back in my second home I now keep tumblr that reposts only Kyrgyz images, stories, and videos (I think I reposted one of yours?). Anyway, thanks for the great writing, I’ll keep reading! Trent (a.k.a. Talai)