Haha! I’ll try to answer, but some thoughts are too abstract for words, and probably just sound chiche.

-why I visit different cultures: humans are really not so different from each other, at the end of the day we all laugh and cry and have drama and friends and to-do lists. We are all just trying to live. I don’t travel for the differences, though those are interesting and unique and fun. I find inspiration and beauty in the commonality of humanity.

-to live in remote places: I love nature. It makes me happy. So why not? When you are happy what could be considered a sacrifice seems more like a good trade.

-inspired me to be with nomadic peoples: I spent time skipping school at an early age and going to the library to look at maps and encyclopedias and old National Geographic magazines. I would look at mountains in the distance and wonder what living in them was like. I always had a love for the arctic and wild spaces. I felt trapped where I was and escaped by dreaming. When I finally had a chance to experience such a life, I just jumped in a little blindly, and found such a big world. I found it was even more amazing and breathtaking and real than my dreams. So the real moments replaced my dreams, and the big feelings that have heart-wrenching depth and no words took over and keep me going.

-to love nature: hmmm, no direct words. Perhaps because nature is bigger than the boundaries of language, bigger than me and my little feelings, it feels calm and pure. Harsh too, for sure. Anyone can loose a battle against nature, and I’ve got frostbite, scars, and known people who have died trying to make it in the elements. So that isn’t meant to be waxing poetic, I just can’t describe the calm, and it really puts life into perspective so one doesn’t fuss over the small stuff. Plus we wouldn’t exist without it, so I figure it deserves a certain amount of reverence.