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everybody gotta hit the road

The first time I traveled by myself I was five years old; my parents simply let me go to my little friend’s mountain house for the weekend. I know many parents that wouldn’t let their kids at that early age be by themselves, but mine did, and I will forever thank them for opening up the doors of perception of my little world – even though my mom truly believes that’s the root of my detachment.

The years passed, the circumstances changed, but since then, for countless times I’ve seen myself in this very same situation: alone, trying to fit in different groups of people, and being perfectly happy about it.

Maybe that’s why when I just turned 17, coming to live in the United States - I’m Brazilian -, more specific in Iowa, wasn’t such a big sock for me, besides the bunch of snow I had to learn how to love and play around. I got to live with three completely different families for the period of one year in this little town called Anamosa, close by the Mississippi river. I would eat their food, go to their church, do their family activities, listen to their conversations, respect their rules, and that all was ok with me.

The point I want to get here is that all this made me grow up as an open minded person, passionate about other cultures and believes, eager to always find out more. You don’t need to travel to another country to find out people might think different than you do – that’s why your upstairs neighbor keep bothering every time you have friends over – but for you do be respect for what you stand for is always better start from understanding why other people act and think the way they do. It can be a blessing.

I completely positive that if every soul would have grow up the way I did, loved and free, half of the barbarism we see in the world today would not be happening. Believe me, the more different people you confront, more delightful and colorful your person can be. And that’s the kind of people the planet Earth needs to be full of, for its own peace and sake.

I’m not saying you have to give up your believes and everything your family and social environment thought you since you were a little kid, but understanding the history of that Turkish carpet your mom can died for, and understanding why Indian women have perfect eyelash and wear beautiful jewelry, can help you see things beyond the trends of the fashion magazines, and for sure will help you to set your believes in higher standards.

I’m sure my religion is not the right and best one, I’m sure my country is not the best, neither yours, I’m sure that the sea is not more important than the lake, and I’m also sure that a rose is not more beautiful than a cactus. What I’m not sure is why people insist in believing that is how our mind has to set things up. A is different than B, by that logic one end up always being better than the other. So, why A and B can’t be the same, parts of a whole?