Friday, October 27, 2006

Da Count

This will be a quickie and I'll let you all know my posting here and visits to your places may be spotty the next week and a half (or I may just meme and quiz you to death here). I have a dear friend visiting from Bolivia for a while. So I'll count that.

I've only been to Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, and Bolivia outside the USA. And I've been to about 35 US states. I'm so grateful to have had those opportunities. No direspect intended but my entire family lives within 10 miles of each other and i am considered quite the rebel for living a whole 90 miles away. That I'd voluntarily move overseas back when I did is completely beyond the scope of comprehension.

I can't tell how how seeing and experiencing different places has enriched me and expanded my perspective. When I have been fortunate enough to travel I try to really get the local feel. I might not miss the big attractions but I want to see the back alleys and the places only the locals know, the places that give a place its real flavor. I want the sights, sounds, tastes, noises that are distinctive and I want to see why a place is 'home' to the people who live there.

I've learned new ways to look at things and seen different ways of doing things. Different languages, different values, different priorities and perspectives all open your eyes if you allow them too. I can recall taking my Dad to the Hilton in Trinidad because friends had recommended the huge local buffet as a way to give him LOTS of different foods to try all at once and see a nice show. There was a lady there sniffing in disgust over the curries, beans, flat breads, fish broths, stewed chickens, stewed pumpkins and various unfamiliar treats. Honestly, there wasn't anything outrageous like fresh monkey brains. It was all quite standard fare, simply arranged or seasoned differently. All she wondered was where the American food was. I explained what things were and still she went away in disgust. She missed a GREAT meal.

So I am counting all the diversity I've been lucky enough to experience and learn from. I'm counting a chance to visit with my dear friend and maybe practice my Spanish a bit this week. And I'm counting those of you from far-flung corners who have shared with me the things that make you and your homes so different and special.

21 comments:

KFarmer said...

You are indeed one lucky rebel woman to have been fortunate enough to travel so extensively. This is a great count. Enjoy your visit- adios :)

Sheri said...

Enjoy your visit with your friend and I'm sure you'll have lots of tales to tell us about.

I agree..... getting a taste of what a place is really about is best through the locals. Afterall...who actually knows a place better? You're very lucky to have so much traveling under your belt.

Anonymous said...

Discovering new places, even those that are only a few miles away from home, is such a marvelous thing. These experiences have such a great impact on a person's outlook and frame of mind. All the more sad if some -like the lady in the Hilton- don't allow it to happen. I have met similar people, who bemoan that the rest of the world is different than their home country. Quite sad really.

Enjoy your friend's visit!

Anonymous said...

Enjoy your time with your friend lime :-)

Marc

CozyMama said...

gotta funny for ya'll today. about potty training.

S said...

I remember standing in Shakuntulas kitchen (Kish's mom), learning how to make dosas....so different from our kitchens, was totally black, the appliances, the floor, the walls? Maybe the walls were white..but black and sparse was what I remember most...no frilly curtains, no rooster shaped cookie jar.....it sorta looked like "clear everything flammable out of the way because Shaku is cooking!" LOL
Then there were the fishes with their heads still on....and yes, I ate one.....but I didnt eat the head, was I supposed to?

S said...

Hey Im gonna make that my 55! LOL

AndyT13 said...

Nice count! Diversity good! I played too!

Stephanie said...

I know you mean my far flung corner and the diversity of my culture that I have shared with you. You are so welcome.

Have a blast while your friend visits!!

lecram sinun said...

Here is to diversity and how it provides variety. A grest count again, Lime. We are blessed to have (and we hope to continue) delighting in your adventures. Cheers and have a great visit with your friend. :)

Amber said...

You are so blessed to have had the opportunity to experience the world like that. I hope to travel one day too. My boyfiend was in the NAVY and got to travel all around the world. It really does make you look at life differently and appreciate what you have.

Logophile said...

Its so nice to be appreciated as diverse and not just be called a freak like mostly happens, thanks Lime!

Having a wider perspective certainly makes life richer, doesn't it?

Boysenberry said...

It's amazing how people can think. I live about 1200 km (750 miles) from the bulk of my family, and always want to know when I'll be moving home.

As for the lady at the Hilton, you've got to love people that want to go somewhere different, but expect everything to be the same.

Anonymous said...

Hi Michelle, I've been lurking a while and finally thought I'd send you a note. I found you through M's blog "As if you care".

Anyway, reading your post describing some of the foods in Trinidad reminded me of growing up. My mom is from Trinidad (San Fernando) and my dad is Canadian. I was born and raised in Canada.

The thought of Stewed Chicken made my mouth water! I can almost smell it just thinking about it. It's my favourite way to have chicken. Sadly, I never learned to make it. (yes, I know, it's easy.)

Now I want some stewed chicken with roti (plain, no dahl...what can I say, I'm canadian!) :-)

Thanks for jolting the memories!

Karen H.

EmBee said...

If she wanted American food, why didn't she freakin' STAY in America? Damn, sometimes people really piss me off!

Anonymous said...

If you ever think of visiting my little corner of brazil...

Back to tourists and food. Brazilians are the same, quite unwilling to experiment with local cuisine and spend there time yearning for Brazilian foods, I just tell them they are "provincial" which insults them into trying something different.

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

I love to travel and hope to see several more place before my time is up, both here and abroad. The woman at the buffet is one of the reasons American tourists are looked at poorly. Since we generally travel to Canada and then on from there people assume we're Canadian and we don't always correct them.

Since I've discovered blogs I've become an armchair traveler. The list of places I want to go just keeps growing.

Anonymous said...

I love to travel...........wonder if that comes from my love of geography in school?

ttfootball said...

Have fun with your friend Lime. I hope to go to South America sometime, visit my friend from Rio. How does Bolivia compare with Trinidad? (a very broad question I know but...)

J

Moosekahl said...

I want the recipe for Stewed Pumpkin!! I grew up in a very close minded community and I took every chance I could from junior high to present to leave it and see as much as I can see. Finances don't allow for the international travel I would love to do, but there's plenty in the good ole USA to see.

Have a great week with your friend!

Bridget Jones said...

Have travelled enough in my childhood to never want to do it again but do realize that others love it! Have fun Lime....enjoy your week with your friend!!!!!