Souvenirs

As a souvenir guy, I usually spend the first part of a trip obsessing over which trinkets and objects will make the best souvenirs to bring home. This obsession with souvenirs is so pronounced in fact, that most of my gifts for family and friends were picked out and purchased within the first month of me being here. Over the course of my adventure, my view of souvenirs has changed quite drastically, but I am sure as hell happy I got the shopping out of the way early.

I've realized the best souvenirs are not the ones you buy in little shops at the night market or on the side of the road, but the items you carry with you every single day. Maybe it's an ID card you hung around your neck at all times, or a journal you've poured your thoughts into day in and day out. Seemingly trivial items that weren't intended to be souvenirs are the best souvenirs out there, and for me, these items will be my most cherished trinkets.

The copy of First They Killed My Father (which I finally started) that I purchased from a land-mine victim, the hilariously adorable drawings of "Teacher Dan," and the trove of videos I shot will all be precious mementos that will transport me back here, whenever I decide to free them from whatever storage bin they will surely end up in.

I must say even with my new take on souvenirs, there is one souvenir that I will always proudly display. And that souvenir is a Royal Selangor Pewter statue of beloved Star Wars villain, Boba Fett. Most of the souvenirs I bought for myself will end up as gifts for others, as I've realized more stuff is the antithesis of happiness. In my opinion, learning to live with less and appreciating one's relationships and surroundings is the key to a happy and fulfilling life.