Intro

Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA. August 1st, 2008

Let the games begin! No, I’m not talking about the Olympics in Beijing; I’m talking about my journey throughout the world. To give y’all a little more background on what’s going on, I’ll answer the 6 vital questions that every reporter repeats in their sleep:

Who?: My name is Trey Archer. I am from Lake Charles, Louisiana, a fairly small city in the Southwest corner of the state. I graduated from the George Washington University a few months ago, realizing that the only thing I wanted to do was travel. The only problem was, traveling costs money. So, I came to the logical conclusion that I had to find a way to travel and get paid at the same time. I soon figured out that teaching English was the best way to do this: it pays fairly well and it’s flexible, meaning I get to choose where and when I want to go whenever I want to (unlike the other job I was considering- the Peace Corps). Perfect! I started my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) training at LADO International Schools in Washington, DC the same day I finished my last college exam.

What?: More specifically, what do I want to find, see, or bring away from this experience. The answer is quite simple- I don’t know. In fact, I don’t want to know. That would take away the adventure. Who knows who I’ll meet, what I’ll see or where I’ll go; that is the great mystery that makes trips like these worth traveling. Each day I’ll wake up in a foreign country, not knowing the culture, the language or local customs. Basically, everyday is a challenge, making every second of the day exciting. Sure does beat the path I could have chosen: wake up, go to my cubicle and spend all day typing my life away under an illuminated florescent light; all while my boss tells me to work harder so he can make more money. I want an adventure, not prison!

Where?: Tomorrow, I head to Moscow, Russia, thus beginning this great journey. I’ll spend 6 months there teaching at Inlingua Moscow, a language school in the heart of the capital. In fact, I just got an email from the school giving me details on my apartment, roommate and work schedule. From Moscow, I plan on heading to China. As of now, Shanghai seems the most appealing, but who knows where I’ll end up. After China, I’d like to spend a few months in India. Again, I’m not sure which city, but I definitely have enough time to make my decision. I really want to spend some time in the Arab World. While my options are open, Egypt catches my eye. But then again, who knows? Afterwards, I want to return to the continent that I backpacked last summer and that I am most familiar with- Latin America. I’ve spent months in Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, am fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and have been to just about every country in the region. I absolutely love the culture and people in that corner of the globe and can’t wait to go back. But first, I must explore the other side of the planet where I’ve never gone.

When?: TOMORROW. It all starts tomorrow. When am I coming back? I don’t know that either. I do know, however, more or less where I want to go, but who knows what may sidetrack me along the way. I also know more or less how much time I’d like to spend in each place, but again, that’s not written in stone either. Once again, this is the great mystery which equals adventure. Placing a time limit will only restrict me from doing extraordinary (and crazy) things.

Why?: Why am I doing this? Well, apart from feeding my travel addiction, I wish to explore and learn about as many cultures as I can within the next several years. For this reason, I have chosen Russia, China, India, an Arab country and two countries in Latin America. Russia, China and India are (as hopefully most of you already know) large countries by area and population that not only have a significant amount of influence in their neighborhood, but a growing presence in the international scene as well. The Arab World and Latin America (which, again, I hope you already know are regions and not single countries) poses large areas of land with hundreds of millions in population. Likewise, both have tremendous influence in our world today. So, as you can see, I’m trying to get the big picture. I figured that if I am living in the 21st century, I better be a citizen of the 21st century.

How?: I will try to travel by ground as much as possible. Buses and trains are way more fun than planes. Think about it, you travel with the locals, see the country side and small villages and, perhaps most importantly, it’s a lot cheaper! You’ll be amazed how much you see and what characters you’ll meet just by staying on the ground. In fact, some of my most memorable (and dangerous) experiences were on buses while backpacking through the developing world. Yes, I know that I’m taking a flight tomorrow to Russia, sometimes time gets the best of us. And while I myself am not necessarily keeping track of time, my bosses in Moscow are. Sometimes you just got to go with the flow. So, only when absolutely necessary, I’ll fly.

So, I think I answered most of the questions about what the hell is going on. As you can see, I myself do not have the answers, nor do I want to. About every week I’ll write a new blog with pictures and (if your lucky) video telling y’all what’s up. I hope you enjoy! I invite all of you to come along with me and see how people around the planet are living in the 21st. First stop: Moscow, The Russian Federation. See you there! Or, as they say in Russian, Paka!