The Real World

"It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol'buddy... Let's go exploring."  

(16 things Calvin and Hobbes said better than anyone else)

I recently moved back to the US and was immediately drawn into concerns over housing, the job market and future investments. Whenever I tried to discuss this I met the response, "Welcome back to the real world." This surprised me, the fact that some people refer to the US as the "real world", but now I am starting to see their point of view. 

To some it may seem like I have been off on a long vacation. It is true that I spent 8 years on an island resembling a Club Med resort, and my photos of our life there must have given the impression we led a carefree life without bills or traffic. Our housing was provided, and someone else maintained our appliances. We had no car or cell phone. But were we living in a fairy tale? No, we still had to work, and deal with the isolation and shortages that can only really be experienced on a minute island in the middle of the Pacific. I can see it wasn't how most people would describe their lives. Maybe it wasn't the real world... and like Peter Pan it was more of an escape from real life.

It is also true that I was able to travel to places that seem more like an adventure than a holiday. I was exploring what I considered the "real world" out there, going where many had gone before me. These trips were exciting but they were still to tourist destinations, and so didn't really count as the real world to those going through their daily grind back home. Being a teacher I have more vacation days, and I know some consider that I barely work. The money that they are investing in their homes, cars and children's education I am spending on travel. That is not reality for most people in the US, and like Peter Pan it is time I grew up and starting paying the bills... or whatever else grown ups pay for.

In fact, the US is not the real world, it is the first world. And it is true that when I am out of the US I can avoid or even ignore some of those first world problems if I choose to. I still own a home, pay taxes, drive myself, and make sure my children's needs are met. However, when I am overseas, in the third world, or even Europe, I choose to focus on other things. There are some things you can't ignore when traveling or living in Brazil. Their culture, values and own set of problems just scream out to be noticed. So does the country's natural beauty. I take it all in, record it and count it as real world experience. 

So I return to the US, not seeking to settle into a life that is more real, or like everyone else's. Yes, I will have to deal with some different challenges and pay a few more bills. And at first it will feel like growing up, or being forced to give up the dream of childhood adventure. But there is still a magical world out there to explore, even if it is only a state away, or in my back yard.