Generalizations in a nutshell: Based off Me

Disclaimer: The statements you are about to read below are generalizations based off my personal experiences. These are general statements and of course do not apply to everyone or the entirety of the countries involved. If you find yourself offended, that's your problem and have the freedom to stop reading at any point.

France

1. Most people walk around with baguettes in hand

2. The French are a people of indifference

3. French men are small and have scratchy hands

4. Really bad teeth

5. Best trains, I could have lived on the trains for months and been happy

6. Best strawberries I have ever tasted in my life

7. My experience might have been different if I hadn't gone to France with a hairy right wrist

Turkey

1. Out of all the airports I have been to Istanbul is my favorite

2. Turkish Airlines is my favorite airline to use

3. Vampires live here

Lebanon

1. I love Beirut! God damn those suicide bombers having to ruin it for everyone

2. Great art scene

3. Most hospitable and friendly 

4. Finished with Arab men

5. Last time I wax my arms for anyone (my arms weren't even hairy and had blond hair)

6. Lots of journalists 

7. There is a war happening in Syria 

8. What's up with Arab dudes openly admitting Michael Buble is one of their favorite artisits? If Michael Buble came to Beriut the show would sell out and the theater packed with only men. Michael Buble the male Arab world loves you 

Nepal

1. Became asexual for a month

2. Eating the same rice and vegetables for every meal at a yoga ashram can lead to chronic constipation lasting over a week, eventually ending in an anal fissure

3. Sworn off rice for the rest of my life

4. People think because you are caucausion that you are rich

5. Kathmandu has a constant haze of pollution 

6. Aloo Bar is an excellent hostel to stay at in Kathmandu

7. Seriouly only paid $3 a per night which is standard in Nepal

8. If you are broke, move to Nepal

9. Nepal is the country connecting China/Tibet and India. Most people traveling there were either taking their reprieve from India or waiting for their visa so they could go to India

10. Seen one mountain village seen them all (same goes for Thailand. While at university I took a course studying the minority groups in Thailand so we visited a lot of them)

11. Really sick of people identifying themselves as "hippies." Wearing hippie clothes and smoking weed, using hallucinogens and listening to hippie music does not make you a hippy. Original hippies neither drink nor smoke and focus more on social movements and protecting the earth. Posers

12. I am don't identify with "hippie" culture and find it limited, bland, and cliche

13. Nepal is considered a spiritual place, however I felt no inspiration

14. The mountains are beautiful and powerful and they decide who gets to trek 

15. My view of developing countries has fliped 180 degrees (I'll explain in a later document)

16. I am not a humanitarian 

17. Many Nepalese speak english which made it fairly easy to get around

18. I am not a yogi

19. I am not waiting for God to wake me up. God is waiting for me to wake up

20. Going to Nepal made me skip India and go straight to Italy to nourish my body

Italy

1. Milan is the New York of Europe

2. Food, fashion, art, and old creepy palaces where massive orgies use to take place

3. Decided to only buy and wear clothes made in Europe and USA and got rid of all my clothes made in China and Bangladesh. I can't get down ethically wearing clothes made out of abuse

4. Italy is a great country to shop in because a lot of their products are made nationally

5. Land of no atms and speakers of english

6. Any country that charges to use a public restroom in a public place such as a train station is under a fascist regime

7. There is not pasta all over and not all the pasta is good

8. Globally maybe 3% of baristas actually know how to make a proper cappuccino and that 3% is not in Italy.  A latte is not a cappuccino

While sitting in Istanbul on a layover, reflecting back on my travels, I can understand how and why many Americans never travel outside of the states. The USA is huge and anything you can do overseas you can do in the US, the only difference is the backdrop, language, history and currency. If you have an international craving you can find meet-up groups that practice other languages, eat at ethnic restaurants attend cultural events, watch a foreinger movie. Many foregeringers I met say they wish they lived in America. Everywhere I went, the world embraced American culture, music, movies, fashion, everything. We are a nation of hybrids and evolution.

Politically I understand the US in some international gout. Stop providing missiles to anyone.

I spoke with many journalists while living in Beirut, Lebanon and had them explain to me what is happening in the Middle East. Honestly I still don't understand. Most people's explainations ended in "it's complicated" or "it is deep rooted and goes way back." 

When I hear that America needs to get involved with Syria I ask what they expect America to do. "They can stop the war." My response, "Can they really? America can come in and temporarily pause it, but if the issues are so deep rooted, it will only be a matter of time before it starts back up again. This part of the world needs something beyond what America can provide."

It's a shame what's happening in the Middle East. A beautiful part of the world with wonderful people. I see myself in the Middle East. In a constant state of self-destructive turmoil. Expecting someone to come along take charge and save me. Allowing my past to haunt the future. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Wake up!

Politics is put in place as a form on entertainment and distraction so people retard the process of empowering themselves. We are all waiting in vain for our political "leaders" to do something, to change things, and in all due respect putting such important decisions and freedoms in the hands of a small group of people seems silly.

Anyway...long story short

What I learned in a general macro-scheme 

1. When in doubt, ask a journalist

2. If a man tells you he isn't attracted to you because you have fine, soft, blond facial hair and wants you to remove it, stop dating him immediately. This person has an unrealistic ideal of beauty that you will never live up to because of what he sees on tv, movies, and airbrushing in magazines. He likely prefers his women to look like little girls and prostitutes 

3. If a guy listens to Nickleback, redflag/deal breaker! No compromising, making excuses or justifications for his behavior. There is no excuse for enjoying that crap. Almost as bad as when a guy tries to sing the high parts in Bone Thugs n Harmony's "Crossroads" and he thinks he sounds good and you're stuck in car in the middle of nowhere, he's the one driving. http://youtu.be/VMYAEHE2GrM

4.Trust your gut.

5. The world is small

6. Iran is not part of the Arab world. What makes a country Arab is the use of the Arabic language and in Iran Farsi is the national language. 

7. Everywhere I go there I am!

8. I really enjoy my own company

9. A kiss tells you everything

In reality we trust