How I caught the bug.

It didn't start over night. My curiosity began when a girl (I was semi-serious about) and I decided to move to a small coast side town. only a couple hours drive and I didn't even notice I sparked a slow burning fuse of life changing experiences to come. After some time, I finally realized there had to be more, I needed to keep moving further. As if by lucky coincidence I was invited to stay with a friend in Austin for a few months. Time spent in the capital had me plenty involved in extracurricular activities. Though I wasn't a student, I managed to take part in the foreign cultural exchange. Parties mostly, but I took the chance absorb the subtle differences and similarities. They looked the same but spoke differently. These internationals with accents, like parallel beings from another dimension, where new to my surroundings. You mean to tell me there's entire countries filled with people like you? Have we really been living on the same planet? Where was I that I didn't notice? That's when I woke up. My curiosity grew hungry, starving even, to experience new territory. New terrain, climate, ecosystems, languages, lifestyles. To sum it up, new life period. New, at least to me.