Vagabond Kid : Mateo Campbell

Hola! Hello n' Bon Appetite!

My full name from birth is Matthew Arthur Campbell, known locally as Matt, and  as Mateo when on the road. I grew up in southern orange county right near the beach in Southern California. Lucky is only one of the words that I can begin to describe my upbringing along with my cool twin, awesome sister, and lovely parents. Just recently in June 2011, after a six year travel/study program, I graduated university with a degree in Global Economics from UC Santa Cruz. Am I to be a global economist? Not yet... I am rather to backtrack upon all the wonderous opportunities I've been granted and find for myself the luxury that most Californians find themselves enjoying so freely. I am 24 going on 25 and I am a vagabond kid. I've been living out of my truck, Midnight Purple, a well-trusted companion, and been exploring the west coast of North America and the interior of Canada for the past few months(July-November) with a beautiful indigo child, who goes by Miss Erica Latta, simply living the vagabond life, where cooking a good meal on a coleman stove is the most joyous of  activities. I will spend a good amount of time with my family, christmas til spring 2012, before I leave on my journey southwards. This is a high priority for me, the journey I am about to embark is one that has no ending point, no destination. I will be exploring the lives and livings of a little less traversed area of the world, starting in Mexico, and ending either in the southern most part of Chile or where Midnight decides to take her last breath, for read up on Midnight's story, she may be old, but she is truly stunning. Whereabouts I will live out of my truck or how long I will live there, are all unknowns. This 'trip' is not about going place to place but rather about living in each new place as a transient surfer and finding for myself where true happiness lies deep within me. My goal is to be able to teach and influence others around me with the vast knowledge I will gain from these next experiences, whether happiness truly lies in materialistic things, or not, and whether the capitalistic view to living is the best option for living contently. For me, life is about experiencing everything, and whether the upcoming experiences bring me back to comfort in the States or entice me amidst spanish-speaking livelihood, I cannot foresee. I will tell you all something, and that is I plan to view the southern, more unfortunate part of the America's in the truth which it exists. I've learned in classrooms and in books that one does not prosper without another one suffering, usually through oppression. But I cordially invite all who are interested to join me and experience this particular journey through my eyes and words via The Vagabond Kids blog. -Mateo