The American Dream

It's been a week since I have been gone, and although I have only been to two hostels I have picked up on something very quickly.

What is your name? What do you do for a living? Where do you live? Do these questions sound familiar? These questions are normally asked when you meet someone for the first time back in the states. However, these aren't the questions that are being asked as you check into a new hostel and meet your new bunkmates. The common three questions that you get asked every time are: Where are you from? Where did you just come from? How long are you staying here? Where are you going next? After ten minutes of talking you realize you didn’t even get the person’s name. No one cares about what you do for a living, what kind of car you drive, your status, etc. The questions asked in America all revolve around status. As Americans we are so driven by status and success and this idea of the “American Dream”.  I interpret the American dream as a life filled with opportunities that will lead you to a successful life. What is successful? Well that is up to the individual. In my future, I hope for a beautiful home, children, a loving and supporting husband, and a career that allows me to provide for my family while living a comfortable lifestyle. What’s “comfortable”, well once again that varies depending on what a person considers as “needs” vs. “wants”.  We all have different versions of our “American Dream”, yet we can’t do it unless we work like crazy.  In the states, there is pressure to get a job immediately and start working. As a recent graduate, I have felt this pressure and have stressed over the next chapter of my life. In reality though, I think it is the perfect time to travel, explore, and see different things that may interest me in a career. Yet very few do this, because the past four years of high tuition fees were spent in order to get them a job.  A job that will lead us to our own version of the American dream.

My point being, is that as Americans we are so focused on a life full of materialistic things and success that we work ourselves like crazy 9 to 5 or plus every day in the hope that one day we can retire and enjoy our life. Most Americans dream of traveling when they retire or owning a second home. Yet as I have been meeting individuals in the hostels, I have noticed that there are very few Americans. I am shocked at how many people I have met who are younger than me or older who have been traveling for months at a time by themselves or with someone. (Granted I have met a hand full of American people, but most cases than not it is the Canadians and the Australians).  I don’t want to be the typical American who stays in my bubble and doesn’t explore and travel until I have retired in my 60’s. By the time you do get to travel, you may not have the energy or health to do what you could have done when you were younger.

I guess all I am is saying, that I envision of a life for me that will lead me to adventuring into new locations, both in the states and foreign countries.