However, I was listening to a podcast last month and a "tribal" topic came up (yes, I've been thinking about and writing a few shit drafts of this blog for the last month as well). I found this topic interesting because I've always felt I've had a problem with "belonging" - even during my childhood. I was the youngest and nerdiest in my family, so when we were all together for some family function or another, no one ever really talked to me. I always felt like a bit of an outcast of sorts. (That's all changed now, and I love my family dearly and I always look forward to seeing them when I'm home, but as a kid, man, I felt rough!) So, I really like the idea of belonging to a tribe based on an idea of something that I and a group of people are really interested in. This idea has made me feel less alone recently knowing that I actually do belong to something.
Since moving to Asia two years ago, I've found that I've had a very difficult time making friends. I have a few friends here and there (some better than others), but I think I've only made one or two real connections with people. The connections and friends that I made while living in England were far more abundant and deeper than they've been in Thailand and Korea, for sure. I was making my life in England with the locals whereas here, I'm making my life with other nomadic foreigners (purely based on language barriers). We all have our own separate and temporary plans that may or may not take us around the world, so it seems many of the people I've met, myself included, don't invest as much in friendships. Not developing deeper friendships has left me with a deeper sense of loneliness than ever before. So this idea of belonging to a tribe has, in this last month, helped to alleviate some of those feelings.
So what tribes do I belong to?
The most obvious one - if you know me - is the Broncos Country Tribe.
I was born a Bronco and I will die a Bronco. Cut me and I bleed orange. I was having a conversation with a friend the other day who I met last year during the off season. I had told her then that I'm a football fan and Bronco lover and was telling her, if she was interested, where are the places to go to watch football in Chaing Mai. She told me that last year, she didn't realize how insanely crazy I get during the NFL season. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll notice that between August and December, 90% of the things I tweet about are Bronco related. I'm kind of close to the fandom level of the Boston Red Sox fan Jimmy Fallon plays in Fever Pitch (I would use Raider toilet paper if I could find it...and now, I would most DEFINITELY use Seahawk toilet paper during a severe case of diarrhea). The Broncos are my thing. It's the only thing that makes me truly homesick. Yeah, I miss things from home, but I get sick about the Broncos. Yes, I'm definitely a Broncos Country Tribe Member. Since 1981.
Although I don't live there anymore, I'm a member of the Colorado Native Tribe.
Back in my England days, I remember having a conversation with someone who mentioned that every American she had met is very "State proud". I had never realized before then that when people asked me where I was from, I would never say I was from America. It was always "Colorado". To which they would normally reply, "Canada? Nice!". Really? Canada? Nope. I got that so many times! A drunk guy once spent an hour trying to convince me that Colorado was in Canada...Like I didn't know where I really came from. Anyways, I digress. I am proud to be from Colorado. In my mind, it really is THE greatest of the American States. I even wrote a Rocky Mountain High in Colorado blog on great things to do if you find yourself in the west. My lifelong membership to the Colorado Native Tribe began, again, in 1981.
Finally, I'd say the other tribe I belong to is the Expat Tribe.
I really hate the term "ex-patriot". Can't stand it. Just because I live outside of the United States does not make me an ex-"patriot". I'm still very patriotic about my homeland. Actually, living outside of the US has made me more of a patriot than I was before. Seeing how (some) of the rest of the world lives definitely helps me appreciate how easy and comfortable life is in the US. It's something that I wish more people would try to understand, then maybe there would be less of a governmental rift that is happening in the US right now. Travelling changes a person. It opens minds, it makes you stronger and more brave (especially doing it solo), it unleashes a wanderlusting beast within us. It's changed me. I've been in limbo for the last few months (which is part of the reason why I haven't written much) because I'm not sure what my next steps are in life. I've been toying with the idea of moving back to the States, but that idea is not satisfying. I feel I've been too far gone to go back now. And there are too many, WAY too many places yet to see. Yes. I have been a member of the Expat Tribe since 2004 (although I wish they would change the name to "Traveller Who Lives Outside of Their Home Country Tribe").
There are probably a few smaller tribes I feel I belong to (like the Game of Thrones Tribe, or the Death Cab For Cutie Tribe), but these are the three tribes that give me a sense of pride and really make my soul gleam. They're who I am and what I belong to.
What tribes do you belong to?
Happy Tribal Trails!
For all of you other Rambler's out there...
