Who Would’ve Know?
John G, 40, lives in Racine. He says he is the father of two children, “that he knows of”: a senior and a freshman in high school.
John grew up in a poor family, wanting to travel the world.
“I knew there were more than just white people in the suburbs,” he says.
John wanted to experience cultures from around the globe. He took that dream and made a reality.
After receiving a graduate degree from UW-Parkside, he decided to travel. John backpacked throughout Europe and Russia.
“You see things that y
ou can’t read about,” John says.
Traveling Europe allowed John to experience cultures. While in France, John met up with other backpackers. A couple from Boston traveled alongside him for weeks, traveling from France to Yugoslavia.
John walked along a beach, and ran into what he called, “Gorilla Women.”
“You know that girls in France don’t shave at all,” John said. “That scared the sh** out of me.”
He saw everything; from harry women to 400 pound men. All nude.
“The people were not self-conscious. “
John didn’t understand how in Europe people could walk around in the nude, but not in the United States. “In the states people would be shunned for that.” Walking the nude beaches wore him out, so he needed a place to sleep. The hostile was where he spent that night. At five dollars a night. It was a deal.
The John awoke to the hostile owner, kicking him out. The new journey began. John traveled to Rome, saw the Pope, and wasn’t that excited.
“The Pope was like a grain of sand from where I was standing.”
It was a long day in Rome, so he decided to find a place to sleep. That night he stayed at a nunnery. A nun confronted him offering a room.
“How much is the room going to cost me,” he asked.
“As long as you drink with me every night, you can stay for however long you need.”
He stayed only one night.
Weeks later, John traveled to Switzerland. While in Switzerland, he spent the night in a castle. The castle was owned by a wealthy family. John spent only two nights in Switzerland.
John’s dream came true. He was able to travel the world and discover cultures. Traveling the world, made him think.
“Everyone is the same, they just want to have a family, make money, and support that family.”