At one point or another, everyone becomes restless with where they are. For many, it comes as a midlife crisis; the father of four that buys a motorcycle or the bank clerk that spends her savings on a Hawaiian vacation. For some, it happens later in life (the old man that marries a 27-year-old model), and for others, it happens early in life (the high school drop-out that runs away to the big city.) For me, this “grass is always greener” syndrome is an every day struggle. I am constantly dreaming up vacations, researching work abroad programs, and wishing I could just up and leave.
Alas, I’m stuck in school. The cage, the prison, the fence, the barrier of my life… Like that Miley Cyrus “Can’t Be Tamed” music video, I’m a skanky exotic bird trapped in a cage and want to escape. Minus the narcissism and barely-there clothing, I’m just like Miley Cyrus.
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“I wanna fly,
I wanna drive,
I wanna go.
I wanna be a part of something I don’t know.
And if you try to hold me back I might explode.”
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Okay, maybe not. But I’ve always been drawn to characters in the media who have a restless leg syndrome for life. The ones who move around with no direction, whose home is themselves, and who aimlessly wander- having lots of adventures and making friends along the way. These gypsies have the life I dream of, and it’s no wonder- I’ve grown up on movies romanticizing the life of a wanderer.
Esmeralda
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I got my first taste of gypsy life as a seven-year-old sipping Pepsi at my small-town movie theatre. The movie was “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and I was entranced by Esmeralda, the gypsy dancer with bangle bracelets and a tambourine. I wanted to be just like her. I even had a purple shirt with the cartoon character on it, which was cinched at the waist (just like real gypsy clothes!) Esmeralda was the free-spirit that the hunchback fell in love with- isn’t that every little girl’s dream? Maybe I didn’t explain that right…
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Roux
Then, at 13, there was Roux, Vianne Rocher’s lover in “Chocolat.” Roux was kind, romantic and extremely handsome. Who wouldn’t want to join a camp of river gypsies when Johnny Depp was in the pack? Plus, they lived in France! It really couldn’t get any better; Well, the town did hate them, but you can’t have everything…
If Disney Classics can make little girls everywhere-myself included-dream of finding their Prince Charming and being whisked away to a castle, can films not make us want to travel the world? If they can make girls want to be Cinderella, can they not make you want to be Penny Lane (“Almost Famous“)?
I have dreams of Paris and Monaco, L.A. and Vegas, St. John’s and Halifax, Ireland and Wales. I want to see everything. I envision myself globetrotting with a notebook in hand, chronicling my journey below the Eiffel Tower and atop the Empire State Building. I want to return home at Christmas with amazing stories to tell. And, of course, I want to blog about it all.
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Unfortunately, I have one year left in my education. One whole year of studying journalism before I can pack my bags and see the world. I must resist the temptation of SellOffVacations.com and Swap. It doesn’t help that I have Shakira reminding me everyday of who I’m not. Perhaps one day I will live abroad and visit exiting lands, or maybe I’ll just use my two-week vacation to escape, but, for now, I’m in the cage that is school. And, unlike the rare bird that is Miley Cyrus, I can be tamed.
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What is your dream vacation? Have you lived abroad? Drop me a line @LAMcEachran.
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