In a recent phone conversation with my good friend, Jenny, as we commiserated over our boring lives, she mentioned a concept that really struck me - neophilia. Neophilia - A tendency to like anything new; love of novelty. Yeah, that sounds about right. I took a personality test and surprise! Here are my results:
You may be a neophiliac. You’re a risk-taker who could live too fast and die too young, but you also explore, experiment, and otherwise push the envelope for the rest of us, often in productive ways. You’re adventurous and extravagant, but also apt to be impulsive and overindulgent regarding food, alcohol, drugs, and other temptations.
That doesn't sound like a very desirable personality trait. It's true that it has its negatives, but it also has made me fearless in the face of change and pushed me to always look forward. Like they say, recognizing a problem is the first step, but maybe this isn't a problem. Maybe I should accept my neophilia and embrace it. After all, without it I never would have lived in 5 different countries and traveled to dozens more. Most importantly, I never would have met some of my best friends, who also happen to share my affinity for exploring the world and pigging out while we do it.
Jenny and I taught together in Costa Rica and have done quite a bit of traveling together. Since our friendship began, we often discuss the curse of having what we call "it." That constant urge to explore, discover, and search for something new. It has brought both of us all over the world but we are never satisfied. We fear being tied down to any one place or job, or even one person. We have anxiety over all the places that we've never been to but still want to go. We are overwhelmed by choice because we've seen what's out there and we know that it's exciting and scary and amazing. We are always chasing that feeling of arriving in a new place and having all of our senses be attacked simultaneously. We love the thrill and the challenge of figuring it all out and the sense of accomplishment when we are able to create a new life for ourselves in a foreign land. That is when we feel most alive.
So in what can only be described as a masochistic effort to make my life more interesting, I have applied to be a substitute teacher in the Providence public school system. I've heard the schools are pretty tough, but I'm up for the challenge. At the very least, it will make for good blog material so stay tuned for tales of my escapades in subbing. It may not be my dream job in an exotic land, but it's something new.
That doesn't sound like a very desirable personality trait. It's true that it has its negatives, but it also has made me fearless in the face of change and pushed me to always look forward. Like they say, recognizing a problem is the first step, but maybe this isn't a problem. Maybe I should accept my neophilia and embrace it. After all, without it I never would have lived in 5 different countries and traveled to dozens more. Most importantly, I never would have met some of my best friends, who also happen to share my affinity for exploring the world and pigging out while we do it.
Jenny and I taught together in Costa Rica and have done quite a bit of traveling together. Since our friendship began, we often discuss the curse of having what we call "it." That constant urge to explore, discover, and search for something new. It has brought both of us all over the world but we are never satisfied. We fear being tied down to any one place or job, or even one person. We have anxiety over all the places that we've never been to but still want to go. We are overwhelmed by choice because we've seen what's out there and we know that it's exciting and scary and amazing. We are always chasing that feeling of arriving in a new place and having all of our senses be attacked simultaneously. We love the thrill and the challenge of figuring it all out and the sense of accomplishment when we are able to create a new life for ourselves in a foreign land. That is when we feel most alive.
So in what can only be described as a masochistic effort to make my life more interesting, I have applied to be a substitute teacher in the Providence public school system. I've heard the schools are pretty tough, but I'm up for the challenge. At the very least, it will make for good blog material so stay tuned for tales of my escapades in subbing. It may not be my dream job in an exotic land, but it's something new.
