When i started traveling i had some bizare idea that i would meet locals and learn about cultures. essentually i was going to have a go at being an anthropologist. I had planned to visit majour places but avoid the backpacker traps. I soon realized that i didn’t know hwo to do that. I still tried, but somewhere along the way.. probably Vietnam where i grew to hate all people… i stoped trying. I still didn’t end up bar hopping in every backpacker ghetto but i found myself surrounded by those people who did. I started to think that i had failed myself. I the anthropologist had just become another one of those westerners along for cheap thrills.. but then i realized that i was never really there to study the natives of the lands i was in. I wasn’t prepared for it. I had little background on them there was no way i could accurately study them. i did however come with th eknowledge of the western world. And i was very capable of observing, judging, and analyzing the actions of the backpackers around me. And so i did.. and it was good.

My travels are over for now. Soon i will be safely settled in Finland. New job, New home, New city to explore. But its stable, no more adventurous bus rides next to chickens, or sketchy boarder crossings. No more dirty guesthouses with questionable food. By the end i grew weary of hot weather and strangers, but i will miss it. For now i will try my best at learning Finnish, and hope it decides to snow.

Goodbye 2007….

Happy new year.