US Soccer

            Last night the stage was set for US soccer to jump from cute fringes to mainstream.  I was at Dan McGuinness, the official spot for Nashville's American Outlaws. ESPN, CBS and local news outlets were all there and the crowd didn't disappoint.  It was an electric atmosphere and packed to the rafters.

The crowd was filling in three hours before kickoff.

An hour before kickoff.

Singing the anthem.

            What you can't see is the 25ft TV outside the bar that was being watched by hundreds more.

            Again, the atmosphere was fantastic as it was part bar, part club.

            After the defensive gaffe, we played extremely well, Jermaine Jones provided a wonder strike,  and then Deuce scored to put us ahead. Here's the celebration after that goal. I love the guy rocking out on the snare drum.

            If you've ever wondered if soccer will be popular in the US then yesterday proved you don't have to wonder any longer.  More people watched the US vs Portugal game last night than any other soccer game in American history.  If you combine Univision then it surpasses the BCS title game.  That is beautiful to me.  What wasn't beautiful was the ending but that's soccer. I'm glad we played so well against a quality opponent with a massive audience watching. If we tie or win against Germany then we move on.  Not easy but possible.

            See you out on Thursday.

World Cup Fever

            How can you travel and not experience the world religion that is futbol?  I love my college football but soccer is the world's game.  So every four years the world gets on the same page and watches it's favorite sport.  I've been excited for months but lately, I've been posting a lot of videos, links and thoughts about the World Cup so I'm consolidating them here for you.  

            

             If you're a beginner and you just want to know what the heck is going on when you turn ESPN on and you don't see Skip Bayless yelling then click here:  Soccer for Beginner's.

             To my fellow junkies don't worry our fix is only hours away!  If you're worried about missing a game, don't be.  Just click on this World Cup schedule and enjoy.

             One of the things that I love about watching the World Cup is that it creates unforgettable moments.  The drama, the buildup and somehow snatching victory from defeat. Of course for US that means watching the Algeria goal, which never gets old.  I remember exactly where I was when that goal was scored and the euphoria it created.  This World Cup I believe that we'll get the Ghanian monkey off our back and I can't wait to see it.  We are one nation, one team. 

            As promised, here are a couple of great commercials for this World Cup.

            Beats by Dre, Neymar.  This one has it all, the build up to a game, a father's love and a sexy Spanish woman. 

            Not to be outdone Nike released their version of the Incredibles.  I love Zlatan and so does he.

            Five hours and counting and we can finally enjoy joga bonito in action y'all.

*When the opening ceremony is going on, you'll see a person wearing an exoskeleton similar to the one from Elysium.  It's not science-fiction but a person who is paralyzed controlling the machine with their thoughts.  Read the story here.

The Little Brother Goes Off On His Own

            This past month my little brother graduated from college at UT and normally that's celebration enough. However, he went ahead and planned things out so that he's already accepted a job in Beijing. (His minor was Chinese and he's nearly fluent in Manderin). I'm really proud of him for doing what I didn't and that's moving forward immediately after college.

            Before he's going to Beijing, he'll be living the post-college dream of traveling through Europe, going to Wimbledon and swimming in the Greek Isles. So instead of giving him cash to spend on beer, I got'em a man's watch.  It's solar powered so hopefully the Chinese pollution and haze won't be a problem. 

 We had one last get together in Nashville before he headed out. 

He didn't rub it in that his summer is gonna be Legendary. Nope not once.

It's a little bitter sweet as I won't see him again before I leave for the Peace Corps. Every problem is an opportunity in disguise though so we'll just have to meet in the middle and visit India together. Enjoy it bud!

To Make Travel Relatable

            It's as simple as it sounds. This blog isn't just about my Peace Corps experience but about traveling in general. Not just physical travel but internal as well.

            That's why the title of this blog is Engage, Educate and Entertain. I don't want it to be all about me living in another country. I want it to embody the idea that anyone can travel, can learn something new about the world and, more importantly, themselves. 

             My foundation will be to keep you engaged in the story, while being entertained and hopefully you can learn something new. Put simply I want to inspire you to do the same and challenge yourself. No, not everyone is going to join the Peace Corps, travel to China without a guide or play rugby in Korea. Those are the type of challenges I enjoy and they help make me a more rounded person. 

            However, if I'm ever told by someone that they pushed their own boundaries, travel wise, intellectually and emotionally from this blog then I'll be happy. 

Why The Peace Corps?

            The Peace Corps is a humanitarian branch of the US government. It was created by Pres. Kennedy in 1961 for the purpose of promoting world peace and friendship. That mission, applied practically, means volunteers use their unique skills, backgrounds and experiences to work with different peoples at a grassroots level. It's volunteer only and a country has to invite the US to bring the Peace Corps programs into their country.  The different programs include English teaching, medical programs, particularly for AIDS prevention, agricultural/fishing, business and information technology.   There's no age limit and the other limits are the ones you put on yourself.

            Since it's inception the Peace Corps has also used commercials to get the word out for recruitement. Here's a link to some of them but my favorite is the one narrated by Matthew McConaughey.  

            Now why did I apply to serve in the Peace Corps? It wasn't a commercial but a series of events that led me to apply. After moving to Nashville I really didn't have a plan on what to do next and was working a job I loathed. I also couldn't find a job I wanted. I was depressed, unsure of myself and unhappy with moving to Nashville. Then three family members all passed away within two months of each other. 

            At the last funeral I realized I had nothing to complain about and that life is short. So I decided to go after my dream jobs and inspirations. 

            I then went to a recruitment meeting at Sewanee, which is gorgeous, and was instantly reassured it was for me. I felt very comfortable there but knew it was the perfect blend of representing my country and being abroad, while learning about a culture different from mine. 

            After an intense application process and very thorough two hour interview in Atlanta I was selected to go to Azerbaijan but their government cancelled the program 36 HOURS before I was suppose to leave. (Thanks Russia.) I'm sure many of you saw my posts about that news!  I was quickly reassigned to Macedonia and will be teaching English as a foreign language.  It's what I did when I lived in Korea and am excited to be doing it again. 

            Next time, I'll talk about Macedonia and why my blog doesn't have the Peace Corps or Macedonia in the title. Until then enjoy your weekend. 

This All Started Because Of A Picture

            In today's hustle and bustle world we're so caught up in our lives that we don't learn how to live them for ourselves.  Over time, I've noticed that people would rather settle for what's easy by being told what to do than to develop their own philosophy. So I'm going to share my incredible experience which developed my personal philosophy and how the development of that philosophy steered me to the Peace Corps.

            This came about when I was working on Capitol Hill.  It was 2009, I'd been there for five months and was almost finished with my Congressional Internship.  In addition to the 40hrs I worked there, I was also putting in another 25-30hrs bartending.  (DC is one of the most expensive places to live in the US).

            So near the end of the internship I was exhausted both mentally and physically. It was the day before Thanksgiving and before I left I checked my email one last time and saw that I had a new email from my favorite blog, The Art of Manliness (more on that blog later).  I clicked the link and up popped a contest for a bag.  It wasn't the contest I noticed but the picture in the background. 

          

             That picture changed my life. 

           It had a young man sitting by himself, with only his bag, overlooking Machu Picchu.  That photograph epitomized everything that I wanted to be and do.  I wanted to be a man confident in traveling abroad, going to new heights (literally!) and appreciating the journey that took him to those heights.  

       So two weeks later I completed my internship, went home and never worked in an office again.  I slowly but thoroughly planned on how to get abroad, I did and loved it.  What I didn't expect was to fall for a girl and move away from my dream and back to her. Now, I'm a passionate man but I don't live with regrets.  Thankfully it didn't work out but I was left, alone, in a new city, Nashville, with no way to work other than to bartend.  It took me some time but I learned from that feeling of rejection and rebuilt myself emotionally to refocus on enjoying my passions of writing, traveling and teaching. I took those lessons, applied for my dream job and was accepted into the Peace Corps.

             When I was abroad I lived in Korea and I learned how to thrive in another culture but my time since returning to the US has taught me how to apply those lessons to my inner self and use them to strengthen my character.  I've realized that the "bag" is, of course, a metaphor for ourselves.  The "bag" is just a physical representation of your inner self. 

         My philosophy is that your bag represents who you are.  I have, I am, a bag that is made of durable leather, is able to carry almost anything, can be adjusted from a backpack to a satchel and has no moving parts. It can carry the tools I need, my datapad/laptop/smartphone which I can write on or use the internet. I put pen and paper in it so I can communicate with whoever I meet and it can still fit some clothes, a toothbrush, deo, comb and razor. Those are all the possessions I need in life. They are of quality, they help me as I pursue my goals and most importantly they do not own me because I can take them out of the bag anytime I want.

This is the bag that I have. Saddleback Leather Co. gave me a great note too.

            I wanted to share this with you because people think that you can just get a job and be happy.  That's not how it works because how can you be happy if you don't know what it is that defines you? How can you work a job that you're not passionate about?  Most importantly, how can you be happy if you're always looking at other people's lives on social media instead of living your own?

             For me this process of joining the Peace Corps has been long but worth it.  I would never have been accepted if I hadn't moved to Nashville and learned how to define my life through my inner character so I could follow my passions of travelling, teaching, learning and writing. This blog is about that journey and the steps I take along the way. I hope you enjoy walking with me from time to time.