Yesterday my mom posted the following comment on my "Le Théâtre" post :
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Well, maybe you don't go often to cultural events, but I gotta say that you sure know how to IMMERSE yourself (and those around you) in Paris. Walking, taking the Metro, or driving, you made sure I saw and took in more of that city (and surrounding areas) in 10 days than I ever thought would be possible since you were getting ready to be married! "Culture" is what you absorb from walking around the city and seeing and experiencing its many different facets. The "events" are wondrous but sporadic treats. Your daily life is a constant acquisition of culture, so consider yourself someone who really makes the UTMOST out of living in Paris, whether you go to a cultural event once a week or once a year.
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It's funny my mom should write this on the exact same day that I stumbled across something I'd written in my travelling journal during my trip to Switzerland a few weeks ago.
This is what was written in my journal (and apologies beforehand if it sounds like a lot of rambling, I usually just jot down what's going through my head without really thinking about it):
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Laussane, Switzerland. Feb 22nd 2008
How do you properly visit a city? By where do you begin? Do you use a map or let your instinct guide you? And even then... how can you recognize those little indistinct things that will allow you understand the walls, the streets, the stories behind the windows? I love to travel, but do I do it right? I tell myself that to travel is to see the world and so to better understand it.... but is this really the case? How many times has it happened that I forget the places I've been to, the names of cities, the color of buildings, the stillness of rivers, the shapes of church steeples? What should I look out for when stepping on to a new street in order to make sure that I have seen it, that I will remember it? And how to know that what I do remember is what should be remembered? What mysterious code must I learn to speak in order to be able to blend in a new culture and look at it from the outside with an insider's eye and to never forget it? Does it take a map? A traveler's guide? A camera? Does it mean visiting the museums or walking into a groceries store? Does it require learning the language or silently observing? How many places' names will be lost in my memory before I learn how to not forget?
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I guess I was feeling a little down that day. It was the first time in a long time that I was visiting an unknown city on my own.... but it got me thinking.... as a traveller, and even more as an Expat, how can we be sure that we have indeed "cracked the code" to a particular city / country / culture / people and that we understand the code...
Even in our own country, do we ever eventually do figure out what makes our own fellow citizens tick?
In a way I believe this is the very first stop to understanding humanity and why we make the mistakes that we make as a race.
But if we're doing it all wrong even at this small level.... than have we no hope???
Fned.
3 comments:
So what are you saying? Are we doing it right or wrong? You ask: "What mysterious code must I learn to speak in order to be able to blend in a new culture and look at it from the outside with an insider's eye and to never forget it?" The thing I picked up on is that maybe there's a lot of difference between doing a "walkabout" on your own in a place you've never been and doing it with someone who knows that place. Maybe the "code" involves having someone walk you through it, and being able to discuss any observations or insights with them as you go. I think that would definitely make a difference in what you remember and/or conclude about it afterwards. On the other hand, if you're staying long in one place and you constantly walk through its streets, you will gradually absorb its heartbeat and "blend in". As to your final observation about understanding humanity, I think you've hit on one aspect, but remember: the world is a pretty big place, so there's lots more to explore. We may never be able to find all the answers, but as long as we're on the road THERE IS HOPE!
Well said, Min!! The glass is half full!
I don't know if there really is a right or wrong way to conocer a city or a place. I mean, on one hand the longer you are in one place, the more you blend and absorb the day to day nuances of the culture. On the other hand when you are seeing a place with the eyes of a someone who's never seen it before you definitely notice things you wouldn't normally look twice at if you live in that city...
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