Of Hobbits and Nomads.

The Eleven Year Old Me

When I was a little tenderfoot in the boy scouts, a friend once asked me “Have you ever been on an adventure”. My eleven-year-old self didn’t exactly know how to answer this question. I said “I read the book The Hobbit” and my questioner responded decisively, “Books are not adventures”.

“Books are not adventures”. Even today those words stick with me and I think - What a stupid thing to say, of course books are adventures. So too are movies, video games, TV shows, graphic novels, and even podcasts.

At eleven, I wanted to be Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, Johnny Quest, and Bilbo Baggins. At twenty-six (now teaching eleven year olds) I have added even more heroes to the mix. John Locke, The Doctor from Doctor Who, Yorick Brown, and Tintin (if you don’t know Tintin yet, you will by Christmas).

To me these characters live inside of me and, to some extent, even make decisions. I want to travel the world and I want to be these heroes. Am I similar to these characters just because I travel the world? It’s like asking if someone is similar to Commander Chief when they go paintballing. The answer is yes… and no.

The Twenty-Six Year Old Me.

If you want adventure and glory you need to give something up. As an international teacher I can live in foreign cultures, travel to a dozens of new countries, climb tall mountains and ride camels & elephants. I am living out a life of adventure and I love it. But what I give up, is a lot.

When I first came to Kazakhstan last year, I was alone. I left behind everyone I had come to know and love in the first twenty-five years of my life. In the past year I have missed weddings and funerals and there are still more to miss.

Now in the 21^st century the Internet makes leaving this stuff behind easy, but there are still those who could never do such a thing. Hell- it was hard for me. Last year was a giant countdown of how many months, weeks, and days until I could see my family and friends again. So why do it? Why move to Kazakhstan, just to move on to China, just to move on to… somewhere else?

I’m a Nomad.

What does that mean? Someone said, somewhere, (and it eventually passed to my ear) that there are four types of people in this world. Nomads, Farmers, Mountain Climbers and Firemen.

Mountain Climbers are the goal oriented people always reaching for the top. They demand success. Then there are Firemen, who are more project oriented- they tackle challenges one at a time. They like to get the job done and then move onto the next. Farmers are homey people. They love where they live and what they do and change is difficult for them. They may never stray more than one-hundred miles from home and they will grow uncomfortable if they do. Nomads, on the other hand, have to keep moving. They get antsy if they live in one place for too long.

Now everyone is a mix of these four things, but one personality usually shines through. I am partially a farmer, but I am mostly a nomad.

The Breaking of the Fellowship

I am currently reading the first book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. After reading The Hobbit in sixth grade I have always meant to get around to reading “The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I have even started Fellowship three times, but have never got out of the Shire.

Now, six hours into the book (the furthest I have ever read, I am still not out of the Shire. Why? Because in order for Frodo to go and be a hero you must understand that he comes from a great place. It’s safe and comfy and no one ever seems to be working. That is the first 200 pages in Lord of the Rings- they just sing and eat and take baths. That’s probably why it’s the most annotated part in Jackson’s trilogy. And one character that Jackson’s trilogy skips over completely is Fatty.

Fatty was the fifth amigo in the friendship of Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. He was a good friend and was willing to help in every way. He even put his life on the line, agreeing to watch over Frodo’s home while the group was away. But the one thing that Fatty couldn’t do for his friends was leave the Shire himself. As hard as this task was for Frodo and the rest, it was impossible for Fatty. Impossible to imagine even. Fatty was a farmer.

Now I have nothing against farmers. I totally understand what it’s like to grow up in the best town in the world. I know how it is to feel that there is nothing on Earth better than where I live. But there is a difference between me and a farmer and it’s not that I want to travel (though I do) It’s that I can’t not travel.

After 25 years of living in Wisconsin I felt stuck. After two years of living in Kazakhstan I feel stuck. After a certain amount of time living in China I will feel stuck. I am totally, totally happy with the places I have

lived, but I am also always looking for the next place.

Like Luke Skywalker,

starring off into the duel sunset,
I am a nomad.

Like Bilbo Baggins,

being called off to the mountains,
I am a nomad.

Like The Doctor,

wandering space and time,
always running,

I am a nomad.

Like Tintin,

always getting into a more trouble
than his story is worth,

I am a nomad.

I love stories. I will always adventure along with my fictitious idols. But I will never feel truly satisfied unless I have some adventures of my own.

So come join me, fellow hobbits.