Connections

The 6 explorers in Namibia...a long time ago

(Dana) As we started planning this adventure, we talked about experiencing places that are changing far too fast, whether physically or culturally. As we wrap up this trip, I am so proud of what we have accomplished. The six of us have truly experienced other worlds beyond our home — physical worlds of landscape and atmosphere as well as diverse worlds of animal and human inhabitants. Individually we have expanded, and together we have bonded, as we explored so many new worlds.

From 15-17,000 feet above sea level while treking in the Andes and Bhutan to 15,000 feet above the New Zealand earth while skydiving to 170 feet below the ocean surface while scuba diving, we have seen our blue planet from vastly different angles. The incessant power of the wind demanded respect in Patagonia. The importance of oxygen was burned into our brains (and lungs). I marveled at how falling through blue water felt so similar to falling through the blue sky. Multiple atmospheres all vastly different than Massachusetts.

Around the world, the landscapes varied significantly as we learned about the forces of the planet that shaped them. The volcano on White Island simmered, belching steam and oozing sulfur along a fault line just like its geothermal brethren in Iceland. The weather patterns of Namibia and Chile created the stunning Sosusvlei sand dunes and the lunar landscape of the Atacama. The life-sustaining inland waters of Peru, Zambia, Egypt, Bali, Bhutan and many others all depend on glaciers or other sources to continue flowing. And perhaps most dramatically, the ice shelves and iceberg-filled seas of Antarctica, that stretch further than our eyes could see, have been created and sustained by the continent’s position at the bottom of the world. Each continent holds an array of different worlds yet consistent themes.

The 6 explorers with Huli Wigmen

The inhabitants of these worlds are also different yet similar. As we watched the savagery of a lion kill or the frustration of a cheetah near miss, we saw how predators must eat or be eaten. We learned about the maternal behaviors of elephants and orangutans. We mourned the impact that humans have had on decreasing safe habitat for tigers and whales. And we developed a far deeper appreciation for the avian world as we generated bird lists that forced us to look far beyond the big-five animals of any country. All of our new insights into the animal kingdom should make us far more appreciative of those we share our world with back home.

Our sensitivity and awareness of human differences has grown exponentially. In general, we felt as if we were looking back in time, giving us a better understanding of how our own country developed. While we tried to pick up enough of over a dozen other languages to be respectful, we mostly relied on others for communication. Our observations on the cultural worlds are many and include:

• Basics for human survival — food, shelter and clothing — reflect the climate and physical surroundings of the people: for example, thatch huts, sago palm and as naked as possible in the Sepik River basin of equatorial Papua New Guinea or stone, potato and poncho layers in the Andes mountains.
• Education is a luxury for most people; in most countries, like Kenya and the Indian Himalayas, committed students walk hours to and from school. They study hard because it is a privilege and not a right.
• Religion creates an entire level of similarities and differences, whether Spirit, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian or Muslim (in age order).
• Most people are content and happy with very few material possessions.
• People living along the river use the river for food, drink, washing, bathing, transportation and the toilet.
• People’s tolerance for dirt and animals in living spaces is far higher than mine.
• In general, we are spoiled by automation in the US: for water, for laundry, for transportation.
• Addictive behaviors like betel nut or coca leaf chewing rival tobacco use in many countries.
• Music is universal (along with Toblerone, Lays potato chips, Colgate toothpaste and Nokia ring tones).
• Marriages are still arranged in many cultures with female roles still focused on childbearing and the basics of household survival.
• Westernization is usually a function of electricity, satellite television and tourism.
• Traditional clothing and rituals are being increasingly relegated to cultural shows.

Finally, we began to recognize the potential threats and challenges for our planet. Overpopulation drives many evils including a lack of clean water, deforestation for housing or food production and a plethora of trash. The rule of law enjoyed by American and other citizens is not universal.

Where will we jump next?

It is hard to know how this will affect the six of us long-term. Will we continue to take shorter showers and reduce/reuse/recycle as much as possible? Will we make due with less or get sucked back into materialism? Will the kids eat all the food on their plate now that we’ve seen real hunger? Will we find a meaningful way to help others? Will the kids’ future paths be impacted by this journey? So many questions; uncertain responses. Most importantly, we recognize how rich we have become through our ability to explore these other worlds. Personally, I cannot help but wonder “Where will we go next?”