The More Things Change…

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From Mark Twain’s A Tramp Abroad (published in 1880):

Travel isn’t what it used to be
“Seventy or eighty years ago Napoleon was the only man in Europe who could really be called a traveler; he was the only man who had devoted his attention to it and taken a powerful interest in it; he was the only man who had traveled extensively; but now everybody goes everywhere; and Switzerland, and many other regions which were unvisited and unknown remotenesses a hundred years ago, are in our days a buzzing hive of restless strangers every summer.” (p. 225)

I saw this really cool thing… on the Discovery channel
“[The Ladders] are built against the perpendicular face of a cliff two or three hundred feet high. The peasants, of both sexes, were climbing up and down them, with heavy loads on their backs. I ordered Harris [hired man] to make the ascent, so I could put the thrill and horror of it in my book, and he accomplished the feat successfully, through a sub-agent for three francs, which I paid. It makes me shudder yet when I think of what I felt when I was clinging there between heaven and earth in the person of that proxy.” (p. 255)

I never go to tourist spots. I prefer to see the REAL places in a new country.
“I flit,–and flit,–for I am ever on the wing,–but I avoid the herd. Today I am in Paris, tomorrow in Berlin, anon in Rome; but you would look for me in vain in the galleries of the Louvre or the common resorts of the gazers in those other capitals. If you would find me, you must look in the unvisited nooks and corners where others never think of going. One day you will find me making myself at home in some obscure peasant’s cabin, another day you will find me in some forgotten castle worshiping some little gem of art which the careless eye has overlooked and which the unexperienced would despise; again you will find me a guest in the inner sanctuaries of palaces while the herd is content to get a hurried glimpse of the unused chambers by feeing a servant.” (p. 284)

Home-Cooked Meals Away From Home

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When you’re traveling more than a week or two, eating out for every meal is not only expensive but also a bit tedious. There’s something about a home-cooked meal, even when you’re not at home, that just tastes right. Of course, I usually prefer my home-cooked meals to be cooked by someone else, because I am lazy. But when I’m solo traveling, I don’t really have that option. So I try to make sure that there’s a kitchen wherever I’m staying.

Hostels
Not all hostels have kitchens, so you have to check the listing before booking. Once you’re there, check out the equipment provided (do they have sharp knives? more than one pan?) and see if there’s any communal food or spices before heading out to the store, so you don’t buy more than you need. Eva Holland provides a guide on hostel cooking, and Fiona Honor Hurley’s step-by-step list even includes recipes to try out in hostels.

Cooking with my couchsurfer Sophie in '09

Couchsurfing
If you’re couchsurfing, many of the same principles apply, but since you’re in someone’s home, there are additional things to take into consideration. Are your hosts cooking at the same time; is there enough room in the kitchen for several meals to be made at once? Or even better, cooking a meal for your host is a great way to say thank you for their hospitality. Be sure to check for any dietary restrictions and kitchen rules before starting. For example, one of my former roommates was a vegan, and she had a special cutting board and knife that we meat eaters couldn’t use; good info to have before you start chopping up ingredients for a chicken stir-fry.

Home rental service
There are fewer limitations when using a home rental service like Airbnb, since renting out the whole apartment means you have free rein of the kitchen provided. Still, surprises are possible; the twins and I checked the cupboards at our rental in Montreal and saw table salt. It was only when we returned from the grocery store and started cooking that we discovered the salt was a rock-hard block of indeterminate age.

What tips do you have, dearest fellow travelers?

How to Have a Successful Long-Distance Phone Conversation

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I was searching my Gmail for some contact info the other day, and I found an email exchange from 2007 between me and Mlle. O’Leary. I was in our hometown for the holidays, and she was working at a preschool in Korea. I’d asked if she wanted to call when all our friends were gathered, so she could talk to us all at once. She was… less than enthused. Not because she didn’t want to talk, but because those conversations are all the same kind of unsatisfying.

Traveler: Hi!
Friend #1: Hiiiiii! How are you? Ohmygosh, you’re in [faraway land]!
Traveler: Yes, I am! I’m good, I’m good. How are you?
Friend #1: I’m good! I miss you! What are you doing? Tell me all about it! [loud party noises in the background]
Traveler: Um, well, right now I’m in a call center because I can’t get Skype in my new apar–
Friend #1: [distracted by something hilarious at the party] Hahaha! Do it again, I want to put it on Facebook. Sorry, what? Skype? I can’t right now, I’m not near a computer, but I’m so glad we got to talk!
Traveler: Um, yes. What’s going on with you?
Friend #1: Oh you know, not much. Nothing as exciting as you, off in [faraway land]! Ahh I have to go, things are crazy here. Misssss you! Here’s Friend #2! Bye!
Traveler: Oh, okay. Miss you too–
Friend #2: Hiiiiii! How are you? Ohmygosh, you’re in [faraway land]!

Hello, hello, baby you called? I can't hear a thing

It seems like a good idea to call your faraway loved one when everyone’s already gathered together, but despite everyone’s good intentions, it’s usually a bit awkward. There’s no time to really talk, so you have to stick to pleasantries. The party noises in the background will likely make the traveler homesick. Everyone hangs up wishing it had gone differently.

So what to do? Well, obviously, if you’re close to someone who’s traveling for an extended period of time, set aside time to talk to them one-to-one. Be aware of time zones and fit in phone calls at times convenient to both of you. Send emails. Write blog posts. Poke each other on Facebook (JK, don’t ever poke anyone on Facebook).

When you have a group of people gathered together for some festive occasion and you’re going to call the traveler, have everyone get ready ahead of time. No big preparation is necessary, but explain that when the traveler calls, you’re going to skip the awkward small talk and skip straight to the fun stuff. Everyone will come to the party with a Top Three list of some sort, which they’ll share with the traveler, who will be much amused. The traveler can share their Top Three too.

You can do a Top Five if you're feeling really ambitious, I suppose

So now your conversations will go something like this:

Traveler: Hi! I miss you!
Friend #1: I miss you too! I thought of you this week. Here are my top three pop music hits right now…
Traveler: Ahh Beyonce is still the best! Remember when we tried the “Single Ladies” dance like thirty times? You’ll like this; here’s my top three sarong mishaps from this week…
Friend #1: I need so many pictures of that second one. Okay, here’s Friend #2! Love you! Bye!
Traveler: Bye!
Friend #2: Hello! Would you believe I saw three different amazing mustaches this month? Here they are…

And so on. Everyone gets to store up some fun tidbits in anticipation of the conversation, the phone is passed around quickly, and there’s no time for awkwardness. There’s no letdown afterward, since you all know what to expect, and you get to share your silly lists with each other once you hang up. Ta da!

Disclaimer: I haven’t actually put this plan into effect yet, since I only thought of it after finding the aforementioned email, but I’ll try it out in just a few months and let you know how it goes. And if you get the chance to try it with any faraway friends yourself, tell us in the comments what you think.

Image 1. Image 2.

New Centerstage Review Up

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I’ve had this problem before–what do I say in a review when the play was fine, was okay? Especially when much of the fault lies with the script rather than with the performances. Last week I saw The Sea at Theater Wit, and most of the performances were spot-on, and the sound effects were good, and the direction had it rolling along nicely. But the script wants to be about nine different things and only partially succeeds at two of them. Here’s an excerpt of my play review:

The artistic notes on Theater Mir’s “The Sea,” as well as those on the original production from 1973, make much of the play’s examination of the dangers of xenophobia and fearing the unknown, and while that is an interesting subject, it doesn’t seem to be the actual focus of the play. This confusion shows on stage, as the play is never sure if it wants to be a comedy or a drama, and the actors are forced to walk that shaky line with uneven results.

You can read the rest of the review here. Also, I couldn’t tell how much of it was the part and how much of it was the actor, but Brett Schneider could have played an actual alien for all the sense he made as a character.

So no, I probably wouldn’t recommend it if you only have room in your budget for one play this month, but I’m not sorry I saw it. And the bit with the ladies rehearsing for their theatrical presentation was great stuff.

Traveling From Your Living Room

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Time for another story gushing about the wonders of Couch Surfing! This past weekend I hosted two women who were on break from their master’s programs in St. Louis. Ainur, from Kazakhstan, is studying American law, and Shushanik, from Armenia, is studying education. They’re in their 30s, they have jobs and personal lives to return to in their home countries, but they took the plunge on expanding their horizons thousands of miles from home, which I greatly admire. They were in Chicago to sightsee, but we found time to hang out and chat, and had some cultural exchange over omelets and ice creams.

Ainur, me, Shushanik

We talked about American politics a little; they had both come to the States with the impression that we were “the most atheistic” country in the world, so they were shocked to see how much religion dictates government decisions here. Then I talked about classroom overcrowding, and not paying teachers enough, and how testing is strangling education, and Shushanik said her main research interest lies in determining which standards and methods of testing are actually useful and which are part of the problems I bemoaned.

Both Ainur and Shushanik were born under the rule of the Soviet Union, and they remember the bad old days with little fondness. For example, Ainur speaks better Russian than Kazakh because she was only allowed to speak Russian at school. They both spoke with envy of the infrastructure we have here, and the reliability of the legal system (even taking into account my rants on the prison-industrial complex).

A gorgeous March day

But they’re both very proud and fond of their homelands, as most people are, of course. Neither has any plans to settle out of her country, and they enjoy travel for the same reason most of us do: to meet new people and see new things, but not to relocate. And some things about the US upset them. Somehow, sex ed came up, and I said that kids today are only taught abstinence, and abortion is practically legal in name only. They hardly believed me; the idea that a woman’s health is her concern and hers only is so basic to them, that the thought of putting it up for public debate and legislative oversight is repugnant to them.

All this is to say that I only spent a short time with these women, but our shared love of travel and meeting new people opened us up to wonderful conversations and a free exchange of ideas and information. I know couchsurfing isn’t for everyone, but it’s been a great way for me to travel without leaving my living room, just by hosting people visiting from all over the world. I highly recommend it if you’re considering hosting or surfing. You can also go to group outings in your hometown if you want to meet likeminded folk but can’t open up your home.

ice cream break

Finally, it’s fun! I think I made it sound a bit like a UN summit, but we had brunch, wandered around Millennium Park, picked out shiny souvenirs, and had ice cream in the shade while people watching. In other words, I had a relaxing weekend with friends. They just happened to be new friends from far-flung lands.

Images 1 and 3 courtesy of Shushanik. Image 2 is mine.