First off, I have to confess that the title of this blog is a misnomer. You see, I don’t actually travel much. I move. A lot. About once a year for the past nine years. In fact, I like to call what I do troving, a portmanteau combining “traveling” and “moving.” And now I’m about to do it again. Colombia will be my 10th country in a decade.
Why Colombia? Why not? A lot of travelers think narcotraffickers still run the streets of Colombia and would never go there, but their information is outdated. I’ve done a ton (errr, at least a kilo or two 😉 ) of research on the coffee-growing capital over the past few months, and it’s clear that nowadays the level of safety is on a par with its neighbors such as Peru and Ecuador. A nomadic friend of mine spent some time in Colombia a few years ago and loved it. He found the people to be among the friendliest he’s ever met. Very warm, open, and helpful. And besides, the weather is great and the women are gorgeous!
So, how did I get here, here being Chicago, IL, USA? Well, after 13 years abroad, I finally began to miss this place, the country of my birth. I’ve often said that, given enough time, I could even miss hell. 😉 And that’s what finally started to happen. I began to miss “home.” I put that word in quotation marks because I’ve long thought that no place is really home for me. In a sense, I’m homeless. I belong no more to one place than to the next, as Paul Bowles once put it. So, I’ve been back “home” for almost a year, and it’s been quite a disappointment.
Everything seemed great at first: Wow, all these people speak English! (Well, almost all.) This is great. And everything is so convenient, and people are so friendly. Or are they? They seem friendly. In Chicago you can talk to random strangers in the grocery store, on the street, or wherever. But try to become closer friends with them and they put on the brakes real fast. I have almost no friends after close to a year here, something that hasn’t happened to me in any other country I’ve lived in. I’ve repeatedly asked myself why this is. I’ve met lots of people here, including some with whom I have a lot in common. But it just doesn’t develop into anything more. I think this is because people here tend to socialize within the groups of people they already know–from work, school, etc. They’re cliquish. Whereas in many other countries the people I’ve met have been inclusive–very open to becoming friends with new people, those I’ve met in Chicago seem to be very exclusive–not open to making new friendships. Based on my experience living in other US cities over the years, I don’t think this is entirely unique to Chicago. When I think about it, I realize that I haven’t been very happy in any of the US cities I’ve lived in, and I think this lack of “inclusiveness” is the main reason. For me, the people make the place. Or they make the place miserable.
So, off to Colombia I go! We’ll see if the happiest people on earth are also the friendliest. Thirty-eight days and counting….
“Troving” is a great name for it, thinking of the Italian verb “trovare”, to “find”. The cliche here would be for me to say that I hope you find what you’re looking for. But I really just want you to keep looking because to me, that’s you.
Glad you like the word “troving,” Kate! I didn’t know about the Italian verb “trovare,” but it just made me realize that the French verb for “to find” is similar: “trouver.”
I also like the resemblance to the word “trove,” as in “treasure trove.” I just looked up the origin of that phrase, and it turns out that it comes from the Anglo-French expression “tresor trové,” meaning “found treasure.” I like the idea of that: A traveling treasure hunter. And I think you’re right, the treasure hunt will never end.
Some visuals would be good to add to your blog, from Chicago and from Colombia. I like to travel and know other parts of the world, but I´m not an adventurer. If I like a place I like to settle in it. I think every place has a lot to offer, it depends in what neighborhood you live. Yes, having & making friends is essential in life. Men is a social animal. I think when you say those things about people in Chicago, you´re generalizing from your own experience. I don´t have many friends & 2 of my best friends I met by coincidence at bars, the other at a protest & the other from hs. But I have friends in Santa Fe, NM where I lived & I consider them close friends. I´ve never been to Colombia, one of my best friends has and she loves it, but not enough to live there. But I guess the allure of being around too many gorgeous women and the happiest people in the world is not that appealing to her. But I congratulate you on your decision and keep travelling.
Speaking of words (“troving”), I recently stumbled across SEMORDNILAP. You probably know this one, though. Jim
Hey, Jim. No, I hadn’t heard the term “semordnilap” before, but I’ve often thought about the concept and frequently check words for their “semordnilapiness” (or is that “semordnilapitude”?)
Here’s one for you that I just came across yesterday: Lusophone.
Hi, Alan. Columbia sounds amazing, I’m jealous 🙂 I recently watched some cheesy TV show, the story was set in Medellín, it looked like an amazing place. I also met a few people who have been traveling for a few years all over North and South America, they said Columbia was their favorite place. Good luck and looking forward to seeing some photos.
Thanks, Mia. I’ve heard some amazing things about Colombia too, which is one reason why I’m going there. 🙂 Medellin has become super popular among both tourists and expats in recent years. However, I’m going against the grain and trying Bogota first. I’m hoping to go into more detail about that decision in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned for that….