Matt Damon gets it.

I was reading The Columbus Dispatch tonight after I journaled for a while at Starbucks (which, by the way, I'll really miss- I've grown accustomed to drinking a free cup of earl grey tea with cream on nearly a daily basis) and I came across a quote on the back side of the life and arts section.  It was almost lost amongst a slew of absurd and useless celebrity quotes, but it truly spoke to me: 

"I think many of our problems as a country would be solved if people had thick passports.   There's just  no substitute for actually going and seeing things."

-Matt Damon, on the benefits of world travel

Amen to Matt Damon.  Now, in true Megan fashion, I don't know who Matt Damon is in particular (I'm not one to keep up to date on celebrities).  But this idea resonates so deeply with me, and has for as long as I can remember.  I hope more people stumble across this idea in the future: more of my peers, more of our teachers, leaders, pastors, children...  I truly don't believe that I can speak to the reality of a country (or city for that matter)- its values, its religions, and most importantly its people- until I've been there to experience it for myself.  And what I find more often than not is that even after an extended stay in a particular place, I still find it difficult to come to any conclusions about it for myself, let alone form opinions that I'd be confident in sharing with others.  Never can I fool myself into thinking that I'll be able to predict what a travel experience is "going to be" for myself or for another.  

I ran into a few Moroccan men drinking coffee on the patio of Starbucks.  I'd been introduced to them when I used to work at that location.  Their faces lit up as they shared with me about their country: the seafood is wonderful, the beaches are packed this time of year, there's good surfing in Essouria, and don't worry- people aren't going to care how you dress...  At that moment, there was nothing but excitement surging through  me- I stand at the threshold of this experience, an opportunity to see another part of the world, and to see the rest of the world through Moroccan eyes.  

Now, I feel obligated to admit that I am feeling afraid.  I have fallen in love with Columbus, I have created communities for myself, made friends, discovered places I enjoy going, developed a sort of routine.  I'm very afraid to leave, I suppose because I'm having trouble trusting that it will all still be here to welcome me when I return.  But, after a day full of tears, I'm feeling just a little more confident that it will be.  And I'm admitting this in hopes that owning up to it will lead me to have compassion for myself, that I'll be aware of my own humanity, and that you'll all still love me in spite of how afraid I feel and how far away I may be.  

I leave to go back to Cleveland tomorrow morning.  Let the journey begin...