Falling Uphill book cover and Scott standing on the edge of Table Mountain, Cape Town, South Africa
El Che Guevara and the hammer and sickle tastefully painted on the back of a road sign in Argentina
"Power to the people” is a common theme all over the world. El Che, the world famous counterculture symbol, advertised on the back of a road sign in Argentina. Also pictured is the hammer and sickle, symbolic of the working person and socialism. I like how they made good use of the back of the road sign without ruining the front.

Where are you from?

“Power to the people” is a common theme all over the world. El Che, the world-famous counterculture symbol, advertised on the back of a road sign in Argentina.

Question for the reader?

If you were born in a foreign country how would you be different?

I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, Planet Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy, the Known Universe, and have called various places home, including: Washington DC, San Francisco, England, Mexico, Guatemala and Australia. Additionally, I’ve stayed the night in over 1000 cities in 57 countries. I’ve been called, and like to think of myself, as a citizen of the world.

Often another litmus test for friendship is being from the same place and having similar views, such as political beliefs. So, this question is often a subtle way of asking: Are you an us or a them? or: Are you for or against the war? I like to think of myself as apolitical, meaning the Switzerland of people. I try to remain neutral, keeping my mind and options open. I vote for the issue, not the person or the label; and I vote with my dollar, opinion and companionship. But since America was at war during my travels, I often had to defend my country; and, people would often try to anger me to help prove their point, but I was always proud to remind myself that many citizens of different nations called me: “The Bicycling Ambassador.” So, I felt like I was on a diplomatic mission to teach people that not all Americans were the same, that our country like every country, has its pros and cons, and most importantly: that the people in America—and in every country whether they realize it or not—are the government.

Read more chapters and frequently asked questions.

Please share:

Facebook
Twitter

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More stories about the making of Falling Uphill

Welcome to Yebrail Matta school

Ambassador to Argentina

A quick summary of my trip as Cultural Ambassador to Argentina with my 5th and favorite video of distributing 2000 books to the kids.

icon play it.png

Take a step of action to help make dreams come true.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get occasional updates on adventures, worksheets and more.