Traveller's Delight

There a certain awe that can be found in people that travel. The whole idea of flying the coop and seeing something new.

Though there is certainly a difference between visiting a place and experiencing it. So you ask, what do you mean? Well here's my two cents, based on my experiences thus far.

When one travels with a group, there is a tendency to stick to that group the whole time. Now this is only natural, and for the most part good. When travelling, however, this can lead to an isolation from the culture that one is trying to discover. Here are two examples.

So say, you want to go somewhere and you don't know how to get there. Your friend then insists on taking out the map. This, however, could have been a great opportunity to ask a local where to go, but moreover what they enjoy about their country.

Another example is being in a tour group. Obviously it's fitting to follow them around and make sure you don't miss their bus. Though, they always provide a break time in between the end of the tour and boarding the bus. DON"T MISS THIS CHANCE! When I was in high school, the french class organized a spring break through Europe. Needless to say less than half of the students were in that class. Anyway, we were in Germany (I want to say Rotterdam...but I'm not sure, anyway it was a castle town), they provided a 45 minute break for lunch. Most of the students decided to hang out together and find a restaurant nearby. However, I chose to walk around the block I was familiar with. I'd probably add not to walk more than 5 blocks from where you're familiar with, or you might get lost. I ended up finding a weapon museum in a little subtle alleyway. It was a refreshing change from the castles and churches we've been discovering for 8 days already. Even though I spent only 10 minutes in there before running back to the bus, it was fun. It was different. And I also got to meet some fun girls from Red Wing, Minnesota who happened to be touring with the same company =oP. Of course, nothing became of that since I was only 15 and they were definitely of the 18+.

So that's involving groups. I want to be a little more current now when it comes to individuals. I've been staying in Québec now for four months, but it wasn't until a month ago that I really started to engage with people. I thank that mainly to my job. For the three months before that, sure I went out and did things, but that was in the minority compared to how much time I spent cooped up in my house using the internet (majority English sites, no less). Now I know Le Capitole is a really swanky Theatre House/Restaurant/Cabaret/Hotel due to the Jardin Mobile staff party which I'll talk more about later today.

That's when it comes to living somewhere. Travelling for a weekend is the last thing I want to talk about. Take an extra day off from the regularly scheduled life and try to use that day to explore the city with friends (close friends or new ones made that weekend) if possible. I've been to Minneapolis and Montréal for dance workshops/lindy hop exchanges and I can honestly say I don't know anything about those cities except the dancers are nice (in more than one way ;o)). All I did was dance, eat and sleep. There wasn't enough time to check out landmarks, go downtown, etc. I have to admit I was in Montréal with a tour group 8 years back, but I don't really feel like I experienced the city then either.

That's all I had to really say about the Traveller's Delight. Be sure that as a traveller, you do try and engage the locals. It makes a world of difference, pardon the pun. My french has improved a lot since that month, and I now finally feel like I'm living in Québec as opposed to a hostile uncomfortable environment.

Thanks for reading this, everyone! =o)