For all the talk about the positive benefits of travel, and more specifically, long-term travel, I’ve begun to realize that there is a completely different side to the story, one that is rarely, if ever, mentioned. And I will say that before I decided to discuss this unfortunate aspect of life on the road, I thought long and hard about whether or not my claim is actually true.
I think it’s the truth.
Traveling has made me dumber.
It goes without saying that what I like to believe is my open mind and respect for other people is a result of my extensive travels, as is a great deal of the knowledge that fills my brain, dictates my life and ultimately makes me who I am as a human being. And I am proud of who I am and every day I purposely take time to appreciate the life I’ve led.
However, it is also true that the culprit behind my frequent inability to speak clearly or to participate in intelligent conversations or to keep my mind as sharp as possible, is all of this traveling as well.
GOO GOO GA GA
The first thing that comes to mind is that I’ve basically spent the past 11 years speaking in broken, baby English, so it’s no wonder that my vocabulary is not as extensive as I would have hoped by this point in life. Usually, I’m in a non-English speaking country and as a result, I must alter how I speak. Instead of complete sentences, I’ve been saying such things as ‘You good?‘ and ‘Bus Delhi?‘ and ‘Me Earl‘ and ‘Happy yes!‘. Come to think of it, not only am I speaking baby English, but I’m speaking baby caveman English almost every single day!
And when I’m not trying to converse in simple English, I’m most likely trying to converse in some badly mangled version of whatever language is spoken in the country I’m visiting. Clearly this cannot be good for one’s intelligence and yes, I feel dumber as a result.
It’s also no mystery that it takes me an extraordinarily long time to think of words that should come into my mind much more quickly. Sometimes I’ll need 7.9 seconds to remember what I like to eat with my muesli in the morning (yogurt) and 12.7 seconds to remember that what I don’t eat is red ‘meat’ and not red ‘meet’. Just this morning it took me 10 minutes to remember the word ‘fabric’.
And even though my head is filled with the knowledge gained through constant cultural interaction, it often tends to be knowledge that is rarely useful when conversing with others. I personally could talk all day about Bangladeshi taxi mafias, the Syrian camel races or the details of every Central American border crossing, but those are not exactly topics that come up too often in conversation. As a result, such knowledge becomes buried in the bottom of my brain and then covered up with another layer of much the same. I love having this information in my head, but a good portion of what I learn is not at all useful to anyone other than a permanent nomad or long time traveler.
So what happens is that when I do find myself hanging out with people who are engaged in normal conversations while speaking intelligent English, I’m often left nodding my head, muttering ‘uh-huh’ every now and then and day-dreaming about my time at those camel races.
MORE TRAVEL = LESS STIMULATION
Another truth about long-term travel is that the life-changing intensity of new experiences can easily wear off and as a result, over time, the brain becomes less stimulated by what were once considered unique and eye-opening moments. Sure, the first time you see an Indian holy man walk up to a urinating cow, cup his hands together, place his hands directly into the stream of urine and then drink it, your brain is forced to re-evaluate everything that it once thought normal and acceptable in life.
But the second time you see it, you just shrug your shoulders and finish your chai.
Of course, I do put a great deal of effort into trying to ensure that my brain receives as much stimulation as possible and that I am constantly in situations that offer some sort of education. But it’s extremely tiring work, as the more I travel, the harder it is to challenge myself on a daily basis and the easier it is to just resort to a comfortable existence by vegging out on a beach for months at a time. When this happens, the brain is used even less and when coupled with the communication issue, it’s not hard to imagine how this can take a toll on a person’s intelligence.
So, am I really dumber because of all the traveling I’ve done?
To an extent, I really believe I am. Although, I don’t necessarily see this as such a terrible thing. I would in no way exchange what I have gained from travel for the ability to talk about stocks and bonds. But if or when I ever decide to alter my lifestyle in any significant manner, I might be in trouble. The relatively disconnected life I lead now might have so little relation to any other way of life, that I would lack the necessary knowledge and skills to adjust to a different path. Perhaps it is this truth that has kept me on the road for so long already.
MY OWN BEST FRIEND
And before I finish, I guess I should mention the ‘talking to myself’ issue as well, an issue that I believe springs from spending so much time on my own, often unable to communicate properly with others. Starting about three years ago, I began talking to myself and these days, I apparently do it so much, that I no longer notice it. While walking through the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand a couple of weeks ago, my friends would often ask me whether or not I was talking to them. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten I wasn’t. It was just me engaged in some ridiculously long conversations with myself, conversations that I was told were as loud and clear as if I was actually speaking to another person.
I’ll admit that’s a little disturbing and while it doesn’t necessarily translate to being dumber, it is another reason for concern.
Ahhh….traveling. To be out on the road, exploring, interacting and learning. It all sounds so glorious!
Except that it now takes me 10 minutes to think of words like ‘glorious’ and then another 10 minutes to remember why I was trying to think of the world ‘glorious’ in the first place, all because I’m too busy having a deep conversation with myself about the therapeutic qualities of Slovakian mud baths.
So, to all of you hopeful world travelers out there….I wish you the best of luck 
And I’m curious to know if any other travelers have also sometimes felt ‘dumber’ as a result of their travels?
Back in 1999, I left home for a 3 month trip to Asia that has still yet to end.
Lol, this post is hilarious :p
I moved to the US from Indonesia when I was 16, so I have an Indonesian vocab of a 16 year old. Can’t handle too much conversation whenever I’m back home, and just like you, I’ll be struggling to remember words for, say… ‘concrete’ and then forget why I’m talking about concrete in the first place.
Hey Jill – Glad to hear you can relate
I’m constantly shaking my head in disbelief when I can’t remember certain words, but at least I usually remember them eventually. Hopefully you’re able to do the same!
Yes I know exactly what you mean! After spending 6 months in Austria, I became exposed to a particular breed of German-English (Germglish?) so much that my grammar started to suffer as a result. I think its important to keep reading English texts while overseas for a long period of time – also writing daily helps.
Hey Kenan – I like that…Germglish! Reading and writing in your native language is definitely a must while traveling and I can only imagine what my communication skills would be like if I didn’t write on this blog!
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I don’t know about being dumber, but feeling like I don’t fit in? Yes. My boredom in everyday normal conversations & others tiring of hearing all my stories. Maybe that’s why I decided to write a book, so those stories don’t die but I don’t have to tell them all the time. But, will anyone care???
Hey Nicole – Perhaps that is a better way to explain it…not fitting in. We do tend to become outsiders to an extent as, like you mentioned, our conversations don’t exactly line up with the conversations that other people around us are having.
So is your book finished?? Does it have a title yet? I’d definitely be curious
Hi Earl, my book isn’t yet finished but there’s an excerpt on my site. It’s about when I lived on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent with my young family and our struggles operating an off-the-grid beachfront resort.
BTW, your written conversations are the exact opposite of dumb.
Thanks for your curiosity!
Hey Nicole – Sounds interesting as I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the Caribbean myself! I shall go ahead and read the excerpt on your site
A very good post and I understand were you are coming from. I too struggle with my mother tongue after 15 years away.
Not that I feel dumber but is hard to talk to friends back home. Simply because I haven’t been around to watch the same telly, read the local news, know who moved into number 42 and massive thunder storm that knocked over the old school, who is dating that fella out of that band who had hit you have never heard etc etc
@woollypigs: That is true and it’s sometimes hard to fathom how not knowing those things can make such a difference in one’s ability to communicate with friends. On the other hand, it can also act as an inspiration to continue traveling as I’d prefer to fill my head with the knowledge gained on the road than with knowing who is in fact dating who back home!
Yup that is why I love living in London and to travel. Here get I meet people from all over the world from all walks of life, I didn’t do that in Denmark.
Filling my head travelling is so much better than filling my head with what ever “real life drama” they are showing on the box.
In my opinion, the difficulty that comes from expressing yourself with clarity (due to your years of solo travel) has little to do with intelligence. Your ideas have become more free-flowing rather than linear, that’s all. Besides, what is a “normal” conversation anyway?
Thank you for the comment Paddy! And I do agree, there is no ‘normal’ conversation and I was just thinking about conversations that the majority of people I know at home would be comfortable engaging in, most of which I would not be so comfortable with. But maybe it is that our ideas lose their structured form and as a result, it is much harder to transform such free-flowing ideas into reasonably intelligent sounding words. I like the sound of that quite a bit
Couldn’t agree more, Earl, though I’ve never seen anyone spell it out like this. Also, you forgot to mention jet lag and general sleep deprivation, which go hand in hand with long-term travel. In fact, this report came out quite recently:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/209350.php
Anyways, stay smart out there. Remember, it’s worth the experiences! You’ll be back to speaking like the true academic you are in no time.
Hey Alan – Thanks for sharing that article. That is really interesting as to be honest, I would never have even thought of there being any potential long-term effects of frequent jet lag. I don’t even want to think about how many time zones I cross each year.
And you know I agree that it’s worth the experiences in the end, even if my memory/communication issues are affected to some degree. Although, if I start forgetting to post on this blog, then I might think otherwise!
Hahaha, Earl! Good post! It reminds me of the virtual reboots and cleanup I have done of my brain after moving or switching jobs. Have to do a memory dump to make room for all the new habits and skills.
The fact that English is my hubby’s second language (he’s Italian) helps me stay on my toes. Not only do I need to have my own words, he asks me for help with his.
Reading good fiction really helps, too. Don’t forget to read in your own language!
@TourAbsurd: I like that idea of doing a memory dump of your brain before a change in lifestyle! It would certainly help keep your thoughts and skills in order. And the reading tip is a good one and I must admit, I don’t do it as often as I should be these days.
Hi Earl,
Haha, that was funny! What you describe is simply a loss of tangible skills. Language can be picked up in no time, go spend a month at home and it will be back! Vocabulary is simply a tool for eloquence, not a measure of intelligence, right? For this small price the intangible things you are learning on the road are priceless and will keep you smart for ever. So I don’t think you are getting dumber at all, duh.
Priyank
Hey Priyank – You made some excellent points and my only fear is that the longer I am away from home, the more my communication skills begin to unravel and then, when I do spend extended periods of time at home, I’m unable to find a way to re-integrate. But that’s alright, and I do agree that vocabulary is not a measure of intelligence. I just wish words like ‘fabric’ would come to me a little quicker
You know I totally disagree
I think in travel we begin to process things differently. We are so overstimulated in North America and laying around on a beach is OK. We don’t need a tv, radio, advertising constantly around us to make us smarter.
Hey Ayngelina – Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love lounging around on a beach myself
And I also don’t believe that being surrounded by constant advertising and ‘breaking news’ is what makes people smarter either. I was simply trying to say that the longer one travels, the harder it is to stimulate the brain and when combined with the communication issues of constantly being in foreign countries, it’s quite easy for the brain to start resting a little too much. And then it becomes even harder to participate in any conversation, no matter what the topic!
Looking forward to seeing your new site design by the way!
This post is ….. ummmm what’s the word …. hilarious! I find myself forgetting words all the time, but think it is now a wonderful game of word association for Poi to guess what the hell I am meant to be talking about!
Hey Kirsty – You know what, I noticed that you were hesitating quite a bit when we spoke up in Chiang Mai and now I know that you just had trouble finding words
I’m joking of course but it is always nice to know there are others out there feeling the same way.
All I can say is good luck Poi. Your conversations must be thrilling if both of you start forgetting words!
Hahaha
Certainly traveling makes me forgetting Chemistry that I took for many years before we traveled. That does make me feel guilty somehow.
Traveling makes me better in English because I’m not a native English speaker and we were in Australia for a long time, but I understand how you feel forgetting your English and American aspect of life. I felt strongly the same with you about Indonesian language and aspect of life in my first few years being in Canada. Talking to family and friends back in Indonesia either by phone or messenger helps a lot. But there are some figure of speech that I’m more comfortable speaking in English than Indonesian…
Hey Dina – So nice to hear from you!
It sounds like you now have a comfortable mix of English and Indonesian to carry you through your travels and communication with family and friends at home. As for forgetting Chemistry, if you’re like most of us, you would have forgotten that even if you never traveled anywhere!
Hahaha!!!
Ha ha. We’ve definitely lost vocabulary and ‘automatic’ spelling knowledge since being in Turkey. We also word sentences in different ways and this has now become the norm so that when English friends come to visit, they ask, ‘Why are you talking like that?’
Of course, it could just be age too. None of us are getting any younger…
@TurkeysForLife: Well, a combination of extensive travel and getting older must be terrible for the brain
And whenever we meet up one day, we’ll have to exchange oddly-worded sentences that we each use on a regular basis. Just reading that you do that had me laughing for a few minutes!
Aside the very intelligent (you see, you’re not dumb..) self-irony and the courage of your post, I should say you need a break. A break from travelling I mean. It’s strange, I was just thinking these days about how much I want to travel and that I can’t do it enough and wondering at the same time whether travelling all the time would not wear my feelings and excitement off. And that, would be worse than travelling less. English is not my mother language (actually it’s Romanian) and I also speak French and some Spanish which makes things easier. I also tend to travel with somebody not that I’m afraid of going on my own but one of the things that I miss when I’m alone is not as much speaking but sharing. I admit there is a sort of exhilaration of power when I am alone and manage in any situation but, all in all, I’d rather have someone to travel with. Maybe you should try it sometimes – that might cure you from talking to yourself. By the way, this is not a sign of dambness, I hope you realise
)
Hola Anca – Thank you so much for sharing your comment! You’ve actually touched upon a couple of very interesting points. Last year, I took a 12 month break from traveling when I decided to live in Mexico for a year and that definitely helped me re-energize and re-group. It was a very positive period of time for me. And I have traveled with other people over the years, everyone from friends, to girlfriends, family and people I’ve met on the road. But unfortunately, since I’ve been traveling for so long, it’s not possible to always be with someone else and so I do tend to spend a lot of time traveling on my own.
However, I do wish I traveled with other people more often as I completely agree with you that sharing is one of the most rewarding aspects of new experiences!
Espero que hayas tenido un feliz ano nuevo!
So funny, I’m an English teacher in Thailand and even I’m losing my ability to speak English because I have to revert to a slow/broken form to emphasize things to my students….hopefully it will all come back when I’m back in the States!
Hey Sarah – That’s exactly how it started for me….while teaching English in Thailand 11 years ago! So be careful, it will only get worse
Although, if you are headed back to the States after, you should be all set, although you’ll definitely get a few strange reactions at the things you say during your first couple of weeks back.
Baby caveman English?
Well… thank you!
That said, I like this post, especially the last paragraph.
I have found my self several times talking to my backpack.
Hey Pauline! Haha…I can easily picture you talking to your backpack. Actually, I remember you doing that quite often while I was in Syria
Perhaps you need to get some more interesting housemates!
Si, gracias. Espero que tu tambien. Veo que hablas espagnol. Muy bien! Estan tantas cosas de ver en America Latina y es mucho mas facil si conesces un poco la lengua.
Que te va muy bien!
Well if it’s any consolation, Earl, your “dumbness” doesn’t ever come across in your blog posts – they are always well written and following your train of thought is simple (and enjoyable) as a result. But at least you’re noticing yourself loose these abilities; not even knowing you were getting “dumber” would be more worrying!
Hey Sam – Yeah, that’s a good point. Now that I’ve realized it, I can hopefully take some steps to correct it. Glad to know you didn’t catch on to my communication issues when we met up in Syria!
Salaam from Iran, Earl!
No, I don’t believe you could have possibly become dumber at all from travelling – FEELING dumb and BEING dumb are two entirely different things!
Because when we travel to other countries, I believe we all render ourselves children again, in that: we frequently have to trust total strangers, whereas at home we’d probably be quite wary of doing so; we have to point, draw, use hand gestures and ‘baby talk’ (as you said) to get our message across; we have to take in/absorb each new unfamiliar place with the curiosity and blind experimentation of a child (especially when alone). I think these are all natural parts of travelling e.g. that bewildered feeling you get when you just can’t understand something, whether it be the ‘vibe’ of Beirut, not being able to communicate with many people in Iraqi Kurdistan, etc…sure, you may FEEL stupid that you don’t ‘get’ something, can’t speak the local language or that your English has become garbled/stunted, but this is all only natural for a traveller!
By the way, Earl, yours is the only travel blog I’ve ever cared to follow/become addicted to, precisely because you ARE so eloquent and clear in the way you write, with endless intelligent and open-hearted observations! (too many travel blogs are very poorly written, from the ones I’ve seen!). So even if it does take you a long time for the words to emerge coherently, know that the end product is always wonderful
Finally, I’ve never heard of talking to yourself being a sign of stupidity, only insanity! And some of the most famous academics/artists/musicians/scientists/writers in the world were said to be ‘crazy’ or ‘insane’…so I don’t think being crazy is such a bad thing for you
Hey Azizeh – I like how you make the distinction between feeling dumber and being dumber as the more I think about it, it is a case of just feeling dumber from constantly being in such foreign situations. As for the talking to myself, I realize it’s not a sign of dumbness but I’d just like to keep it in check as I think my current amount self-conversing is more than sufficient!
And on a a final note, I am honored that you have become interested in following my blog and please know that it does mean a great deal to me to read such positive comments about my writing….I really do appreciate it!
YES!!!
i have spent an extensive amount of time in india, and find myself adapting my english to ‘indian english’/ hinglish often and with gusto… sometimes without even being in my beloved india.
i also work in the states with people who speak english as a second, third, fourth language (and some who don’t speak it at all, really), so i’m stuck in ‘travel english mode’ all day. it takes me FOREVER to come up with some very basic words and phrases, and makes me feel like a moron in the context of an intellectual conversation.
thank you for writing this. it’s nice to know that i’m not alone!
Hey Kandyce – Hopefully it will make you feel even better to know that I am also often stuck speaking Hinglish, even when I’m back home in the US. I’ve spent so much time in India as well that I tend to say things like, “Where do you stay?” instead of “Where do you live?” and “Kindly pass me a napkin” instead of “Please pass me a napkin”. Although, I’ve yet to ask anyone “What is your good name?” or refer to my first cousin as my cousin-brother yet!
I think we’d get along quite well and would understand each other perfectly
I can totally see what you mean about how speaking in broken English everyday can make you feel dumber. But I think you have the advantage of still writing for your blog and interacting online with people who speak English. It’s an interesting thought though. Maybe it’s time to spend some time in an English speaking country?
Hey Christy – The blog has definitely saved me from losing my communication abilities even further. And I actually am in Australia at the moment, so hopefully this visit will help me recharge my English skills!
When I first saw this post in my email box, I immediately thought, ¨Why is Earl tapping into my brain waves?¨ When I was once able to carry on witty conversations with multiple-syllable words with my Dad, I now turn away embarrassed, saying my English isn´t that good. I remember how intellectual I used to be before traveling, and how now I have to Google everyday phrases to get the words in order into something understandable.
I can also relate to the novelty of new experiences wearing off… I´m not sure how to counteract this one, though traveling slowly does help a bit. Great post as always!
Hey Jasmine – Well, maybe we need to meet up so that we can have a conversation in our own baby language. I don’t think we’d have any troubles at all communicating considering that we bother suffer from the same issue!
And traveling slowly does indeed help keep new experiences from wearing off and I’ve also found that traveling between drastically different cultures helps as well. For example, I don’t suffer as much from this problem when I go from Europe to India or Australia straight to Central America. The greater the differences in culture, the more stimulating the experiences tend to be for me.
Maybe it’s a bell curve. Pre-travel, people are less knowledgeable because of less experience in interaction. As traveling increases and more cultures are experienced, the smart-ness level goes up to a threshold, to where your blog post suggests, the “brain stimulation” gets used to it, and the curve goes down. Don’t know if that made any sense, but that’s what I pictured in my mind while I read your post. Great take on the result of excessive travel though!
That makes perfect sense Harrison! And actually, I feel a bit smarter for being able to follow your comment without scratching my head in confusion
I think the key is to figure out a way to continuously increase the threshold, which becomes a significantly more difficult challenge the longer you travel. But I’m not giving up, so hopefully I’ll find a way to force the curve upward once again!
If this is true, are you going to stop traveling? I feel dumb when I get lost (last year) driving in England. Apparently,I can not follow directions. Whenever I try to pronounce a foreign language and destroy it. Occasionally, the person listening to me laughs because I said it incorrectly.
@krantcents: I won’t stop traveling as a result. But now that I’m more fully aware, I’ll work a little harder to maintain the stimulation and improve my communication skills as much as possible. And at least with speaking a foreign language, you have the excuse that it’s not your mother tongue, so in that case, I say keep on practicing regardless of the laughs!
At least you can still write in English intelligently so you haven’t completely lost your communication skills! And as for talking to oneself, I do this as well and I have no excuse such as “I travel alone frequently,” I just plain talk to myself when solving problems.
@LittleHouse: Ok, that makes me feel much better
I’m starting to get the idea that talking to oneself is a lot more common that I thought and in your case, at least it’s being used to help solve problems!
Haha, well it could be debated that while your English might get worse or “dumber,” you get smarter in other languages!!!
I don’t think I’ve ever become jaded with an Indian holy man drinking a cow’s urine.
Hey Andi – That could very well be true, so the pieces of other languages I’ve picked up fill in the gaps in my English communication abilities. I like that explanation!
Ha Ha. You are hilarious Earl. I can’t tell you how relieved I feel to know that this condition I too suffer from is due to travel, I thought I was just getting old!
Now that I am back living in Oz, I found myself constantly asking people,, “How do we say that in Australia again?” They just look at me like i am mad.
And as for the fitting in part which has been mentioned in some comments above. I think this plays a part in it. I know longer have the language needed to talk about other people, depressing news or bad reality TV programs.
Hey Caz – Well, perhaps it is because we’re getting older but blaming it on extensive travel feels a whole lot better! And what you said reminds me of whenever I’m at home and I use a word like ‘jumper’. If I’m around my mom she’ll always say, “Earl, we use the word sweatshirt in this country!”
And if feeling a bit out of place means not spending a good portion of our time talking about gossip and reality TV, I’ll take that trade off any day and I imagine you feel the exact same way…
This post had me nodding my head in agreement quite a lot – especially the part about forgetting basic words! After years of travelling to non-english-speaking countries, living with people from all over the world and being the only one to speak english as a (sort of) first language, my english is in shambles. I generally have to sift through a few different languages before finding the appropriate word to communicate basic things! I try to read in english a lot to compensate, and end up coming out with archaic english words I’m not even sure how to pronounce, much to my family’s amusement.
I think I quite understand what you mean about feeling dumber & dumber the more you travel, but I like to think of it as a different kind of intelligence. After all, after my mom got over laughing at my broken english in India, she was quickly amazed at how well I could communicate with rickshaw drivers & guesthouse owners… Adaptability is a big skill, whether you’re travelling or not!
Besides, there are more and more travelers out there to talk to, whether it’s in broken english or not
Hey Rose – So is it only English or do you now speak in broken French and Spanish as well?? That would have the potential to create a huge mess inside your head
And adaptability is a great skill to have and come to think of it, knowing that I can travel to most regions of the world and almost immediately feel comfortable, more than makes up for my inability to communicate at times.
You’re also right about being able to talk with other travelers as broken English seems to be the language of choice (or necessity) out there on the road…
Well, English is the worst because of speaking with so many people who have a very limited vocabulary – it definitely takes its toll! But French and Spanish are definitely affected too, and they all seem to jostle for attention in my head when I am looking for a word… like …ummm… tela – no wait, tissu… ooops – FABRIC
Needless to say, I had a really hard time playing scrabble with my grandma the other night.
Talking with my mother (an editor and translator) is the one thing the puts me back on track. It also gives her countless opportunities to laugh her head off!
One thing I believe could easily help with this is reading a lot, either on planes, buses, trains, etc. Whenever you have free time and nothing else going on. It helps keep your mind sharpish when no one else is around and you are by yourself for long periods of time(speaking from experience).
Ozzy
Thanks for that comment Ozzy! Reading does help quite a bit and I probably should do a better job of being prepared for when I travel to countries that don’t have many English language books available. Sometimes I find myself without reading material because I incorrectly assumed I’d find something while out on the road…
Hey Earl. I’ve never been in a non-English-speaking country long enough to have some of the side-effects you’re talking about, but I’ll take your word for it. I mean, my English gets a bit dumber after two hours of French class, so I can’t imagine what it’s like for you.
I guess it’s a tradeoff though, like anything. Even if you were actually getting a bit dumber, you’re definitely a lot wiser.
Hey David – Haha…well, at least you’re getting a taste of what it’s like with your French classes!
It most certainly is a trade-off and one that I believe most travelers would accept without hesitation. In the end, it’s a minor sacrifice to make in order to enjoy the life-changing experiences that travel so often provides.
And I am looking forward to the huge 2011 you have in store for Raptitude!
Well, if it’s true, your writing doesn’t show it.
I don’t think I became dumber during my 4 months in South Korea, though I certainly did less than I’m doing these days (though I also explored more and had many more new experiences during those times); I certainly did feel some reverse culture shock upon coming back to Canada. It’s a different context, and a different feeling of “normal” that you have to realign yourself with.
@InvestItWisely: The reverse culture shock is always a potential issue for those who spend time abroad and I think that for most people, after a while, it eventually fades and you’re able to find your comfort zone once again. Although, there is always that chance that what you learned while overseas simply doesn’t allow you to realign with life at home and then, the issue becomes a bit bigger. Seems like you had the best of both worlds by maintaining your intelligence while in South Korea and being able to return to a life in Canada!
Earl, you are too funny! But you speak wise words, yet again! It makes me a bit sad to think of how immune to stimulation I can sometimes get about things. I wish I didn’t but after seeing amazing things hundreds of time, the novelty sure does wear off.
Hey Connie – Exactly! Who would think that some of the incredible, eye-opening things we see out there would eventually become so normal? It is a shame that it happens but I guess the fact that we realize it, makes us want to put an increased effort into finding even more eye-opening experiences that will grab our attention!
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Hey Earl – I can totally relate to you on this one! This is something I’ve noted myself before and have actually spoken to people about. Spending so much time in non-English speaking countries and speaking pidgin English or a simplified version of my own native language has definitely had an impact on my own ability to speak fluently! I guess I really become aware of it when I’m back in a native English-speaking country (what a novelty!) and do feel a bit ‘dumb’ at times when I find myself tripping over my tongue, or stuttering to get a word out or simply using an inappropriate word because I can’t think of the one that I really want to use in time, or taking forever to answer someone’s question because I can’t even think of how to structure a sentence properly in order to even start talking!
I don’t think it means I’m actually dumber, just that I appear to be!
Talking to yourself? Doesn’t everybody do that…? I just had a great conversation with myself about the pros and cons of my new house. In the end there was a general concensus that the pros outweighed the cons…
Hey Michelle – Well, don’t worry, as I didn’t notice any problems with your communication skills in Syria! Although clearly, after writing this post, I’m not the best judge of that
Does everyone talk to themselves? If so, then I’m relieved, although I still worry about the incredible length of these conversations. I could go on for 20 minutes without even realizing it. Glad that it has worked out for you and that you were able to sort through the pros/cons of your new house. I’m starting to see how talking to oneself can actually be quite handy!
Hey Earl,
very nice post. I just wonder why do you think about Slovakian mud baths when walking the streets:) but it makes me feel proud of being Slovakian and from Piestany.
Love every single post man. Keep up the good work.
Dobry den Peter! Actually, the reason I do think of mud baths from time to time (not every time I talk to myself!), is because of my visit to Piestany a few years ago. I spent an enjoyable couple of days at the spa and the mud wrap was by far the most interesting!
Hey, Earl! Happy New Year!! This was an awesome post, as always, and just about everything I thought of as I read it has been covered in the other comments. But one part struck me on a whole different level:
“… if or when I ever decide to alter my lifestyle in any significant manner, I might be in trouble. The relatively disconnected life I lead now might have so little relation to any other way of life, that I would lack the necessary knowledge and skills to adjust to a different path.”
This is the very thing I think about in terms of unschooling my son (now 10). He has the most amazingly fun and free life, gets to do things other kids only dream of, and learns new things all the time from everywhere… but he isn’t versed in the “normal” experiences (or school subjects) the other kids are. One day, if he decides to become an engineer, or a veterinarian, or even just to go to college, he’ll have to bridge that gap. He will have to work extra hard for some length of time to pick up the lingo and habits of the “natives”… IF he ever wants to.
I’ve talked to him about this often. The longer we unschool, the greater that gap becomes. He knows it and feels about like you do about your travels… even if this is the case, he’d rather have the freedom and adventure of unschooling and, if he changes his mind later, he’ll have all the motivation he needs to do whatever it takes to get back on that traditional path (though he doesn’t think he’ll ever really want to be on that path anyway!).
Sorry, I’ve totally rambled. Just thought I’d share ’cause your post made me feel much more at ease about the whole thing.
Hey Lisis! Happy New Year to you as well, and to your entire family!
I think that as difficult as it may be, it all comes down to the fact that, just like me at the moment, your son wouldn’t give up his current lifestyle for a chance to be more like everyone else. And it’s not as if the unschooling is damaging to him in any way, it simply is leading him down a different path, which happens to be one that he has clearly aligned with and now much prefers.
While it may one day be a challenge to cross over into a different lifestyle at some point, something that I do think about often myself, I then remind myself that I don’t want to change anything right now. Also, it would be much easier for your son to cross back into a ‘normal’ life than it would be for him to break out of that ‘normal’ life one day and attempt to live with the freedom he currently enjoys. So in the end, he is only benefiting from the fun and free life he is living now.
At least that’s how I feel about the matter
I wish you and your family even more fun and freedom in 2011 and it’s always wonderful to know that you’re out there reading these posts when you can!
That’s a great point, Earl… the crossover into mainstream is much easier than trying to get out of it. Plus, as you alluded to, *at this moment* we are happy, we don’t want to change anything. To do so would be trading our current happiness for some future possibility of it (which we don’t really control and have no way of predicting).
I guess we’ll stick with what we’re doing now, Carpe Diem, right?
I am still not able to get past the part of.. put his hands in the stream of the urine and then drink it… wow lool
@WanderingTrader: I know you what you mean. The first time I saw the holy man do that I couldn’t speak for about an hour due to shock!
LOL, that’s so funny. Unfortunately I can completely relate. After 11 years living with my non-native English speaking husband and 5 years of living in France, my English has gone down the toilet.
I am a long term sufferer of ‘what the hell is the word for that’ syndrome and I can no longer spell without a spell checker.
As for talking to yourself. I can relate there also. When my husband went away for a couple of months last year I quickly started talking to myself without even realising it. That’s a very bad and embarrassing habit to get into!
Wish I could give some words of advice but I’ve got none!
Hey Andrea – Seems like you know exactly what I’m talking about and I like your label of ‘what the hell is the word for that’ syndrome! If I were you I also wouldn’t let your husband travel anymore as, from experience, the talking to yourself only gets worse the more time you spend on your own
This is simply hilarious. I was lol’ing the whole way. I think actually trying to jar your brain into speaking other languages, as you daily do, is probably good for it. The struggling to think of words – me too. My afflication began prior to my leaving the States in June, though. Perhaps it’s a function of age and not travel?
Hey Sabina – Wow, that is definitely the first documented case of a traveler starting to forget words BEFORE they even leave for their trip! I’m worried for you
It may very well be due to age, but travel makes for a great scapegoat…
Humor is often considered an indicator of intelligence. I think you’re doing just fine, Earl.
Thanks so much Odysseus, I do appreciate it. I always thought that I was the only one who laughed at my posts, so it’s good to know there are others out there!
Wow Earl, great stuff. I never thought about any of these “ill effects” of long term travel. I dont think you are dumber, but your brain may have atrophied a bit because you havent exercised the muscles and thought processes that you bring up in this post. Im sure that if you get back to an area where english is spoken freely, your grammar and skills will come back in a few hours.
Good luck!
Hey Jeff – Hopefully you are correct! Although I think I need more than a few hours to reboot my English skills as even when I return to the US for a month or two at a time, I still struggle. Maybe a year in an English speaking country would do the trick!
Great stuff. Can relate to so much of this. When I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Estonia, we’d have competitions when the volunteers would get together for putting together 3+ syllable words. It got tough to do after about a year. And often it would end up as a team effort to remember the word. Don’t even want to think about where my brain is at now…
Hey Audrey – Haha…it just took me a minute to reply to your comment because I began trying to think of 3 syllable words myself! And it did not go well at all. That’s hilarious that it was an actual competition for you.
I’m sure you’re doing quite well these days though. It probably helps that there are two of you together most of the time! Perhaps that’s what I really need…a spouse.
I know that when I’m going back and forth between Spanish and English I can often forget words on mix the two together, but I can’t say that I’ve experienced the dumbing down… yet. I’ll get back to you on that one once we are in the middle of our trip.
Hola Erica – I like how you threw in the ‘yet’ with your comment
Hopefully you will escape the dumbing down altogether and be one of the lucky ones!
I’d agree there’s something slightly zombifying about longterm travel: intense and challenging experiences followed by long periods of vegging out on the beach. I find learning a bit of the local language, so you’re speaking pidgin foreign language rather than pidgin English helps… But you certainly don’t sound dumb to me…
Thank you Theodora! I also prefer to be speaking a pidgin form of a foreign language than of English. Having poor grammatical and vocabulary skills then becomes quite acceptable and I don’t feel nearly as dumb in those situations!
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LOL Earl, who cares if your brain is frazzled, so long as you continue to make us laugh in this way. Maybe there is so much information stored away in that head of yours that it takes slightly longer to access the required data sometimes
Hey Andrew – That is perhaps the best explanation I’ve heard yet. Too much in my head = longer data processing time. Although, as convincing of an argument as it is, it unfortunately takes me much longer than ‘slightly longer’ to access the information I need!
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Ha ha ha, not dumber just differently planned out up there…. The talking to myself thing has happened to me as my brain seems to think no one can understand me here so I just say thoughts aloud!
Im sure blogging is helping to keep your language at least reasonable level.
I find another thing with traveling is you lose touch with the news almost completely at times….. “A what where? No I didn’t hear about that……”
Hey Forest – “Differently planned out”…I like that as well! And with the way you explain your talking to yourself habit, it actually makes a good deal of sense. If there’s nobody else around to understand you, then why not converse with the one person who will!
And as far as the news goes, I’ve been clueless about mainstream news for years. It’s quite incredible how quickly one can tune out from all of the happenings around the world that are grabbing most people’s attention.
You’re right, it’s very easy to get detached from the “news” which actually strengthens my conviction that 99% of what we find out daily from news broadcasts of any kind is realy not that important. When you stand on top of Uxmal pyramid surrounded by the forest, or look at the sun above the clounds form an airplane, when you watch Iguazu falls rolling down with such a force, when you skydive, raft, climb a peak, when you sit at the border of a blue, infinite sea, really the “news” seems so …vain.
Hey Anca – Most of the news indeed does not provide any benefits whatsoever. I actually was just watching the Australian news tonight for a few minutes and a three-minute story about the severe floods in Queensland was followed by a fifteen minute piece about the Princess of Denmark giving birth to twins. And you are right that when you’re traveling and experiencing some of the more dramatically beautiful and rewarding moments in life, almost all of what passes for television these days suddenly seems quite insignificant.
I can totally relate to the baby talk Earl, and only spent half the time on the road as what you’ve done. You don’t even notice yourself doing it, and the longer you spend traveling the more fucked up your accent gets. You must sound quite strange over the phone when you speak to your family by now. Safe Travels mate…..
Hey Jason – You are completely spot on! My accent is all messed up these days and during my trip to the Middle East, people I met would guess I was from places such as Germany, UK, Australia and France. Although, it does help me to blend in when I don’t want my nationality to be known!