Seriously. It has been a long time since I have touched this guy. A good amount of life experience has come and gone in between these posts, and I am not even going to attempt to try to consolidate them into a lame, unsatisfactory to read or write piece that would'nt do any of those experiences or lessons justice. So I figure I'll just pick up where I am right now.
My latest adventure has taken me to the seemingly endless city of Moscow. When I look outside my window, I see twenty-plus story apartment buildings stretch into the distance well past the horizon. There are millions of people hustling and bustling to wherever they have to go, working their way through the web of alleys, streets, and metro tunnels. It is overwhelming to an extent, yet I am excited to embark on this new opportunity.
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| On the banks of the Yysk-Koi lake, Kyrgyzstan. |
I have been here for a week, and am currently ripping through the red tape that wraps my future employment opportunity. Doing so has given me a lot of time to wander the city, and think about what life is like for a Muscovite. The city never seems to sleep or calm down. It's pulse continuously, rapidly beats forward without regard to the inhabitants that give it life. The opportunity to change and progress according the worlds standards are everywhere, everything is new and exciting, with an eye focused on the future. While you are surrounded by people, it seems that loneliness is a persons only company. Yet, the fast paced race goes on in this colorful and cultured city.
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| Moscow |
Right before I came to Moscow, I was in a completely different world in the Tian-Shan mountains which go through China and Kyrgyzstan. There I saw about ten times more sheep than people. Standing on the peaks, looking into the distance, you saw nothing but the weathered summits of mountains seemingly older than time. I dont think there could be a starker difference between my two circumstances.
Yet through all of my travels and experiences one constant remains. The people. All of us, regardless of whether we live in Texas, Moscow, or Naryn are the same. Family is still a priority, nurturing those relationships and providing for them. Kids still think farts are funny, (ok lets be honest, everyone does right?). The loneliness felt by the old babushka sitting on the metro on her way to the grocery store is just as real as the loneliness felt by the lone shepherd guiding his flocks through the rugged landscape. We all have an instinctive, innate desire to love and be loved.
While the walls that divide culture can be as real and as firm as the walls of the Kremlin, once those walls are penetrated we see we are all alike, with our own fears, hopes, desires, and aspirations. We all have the same limitless potential. The only thing that is limited is our own perspective, which we dam ourselves. So let's open it up a little bit. As we learn more about each other, it is inevitable that we will learn more about ourselves.
