While traveling across Europe in 2006 our tour guide, Joe, said those words to us MANY times. Concerning the hole in the ground called a "toilet" in Italy (and the woman collecting money for us to USE it!) And about the fish heads with cucumbers and pickled herring called "appetizers" in Germany. And when talking about the children drinking wine next to us at dinner in Paris...and especially concerning the "coffee house" where marijuana is the #1 item on the menu in Amsterdam..."It's not good or bad...it's just different!"
And that is the absolute truth. All of those things were definitely different than what I was used to, but I was certainly not going to be a judge of any one's cultural beliefs or traditions or food preferences!
I was reminded of this as I spent the last several days scouring my Europe books in preparation for my visit to France and Italy next month. I know there will be sights and sounds and smells and tastes that are not exactly what I am used to. In fact, they will be totally different. Four years and three European vacations later, I actually think this is exactly why I love traveling so much.
I LOVE to see and experience the differences in each of the cultures all the while realizing that we are really all so very much the same. The woman who cleans that toilet hole in Italy loves her children. The man who brought out those fish heads on a platter has to pay his rent this month. The children drinking wine in Paris laugh with each other while playing their video game at the table. And the guy selling marijuana in Amsterdam is trying to save up enough money to take his family to Disney World next year. They all laugh and cry, they enjoy a good meal, they have bills to pay and all appreciate a good night's sleep.
On that first trip to Europe I realized how easy it was to get on a plane and be in another world in just a matter of hours. Honestly, though, in the amount of time it took for us to get out of the airport and on to the streets of London--seeing people drinking coffee at Starbucks and venturing into McDonald's for a McCrumpet--I knew that we had not really gone very far at all.
Of course there's a language barrier, the need to exchange dollars for euros or pounds, there's the pay toilets and half-cooked bacon...but then there's the ruins and museums and pasta and crepes and wine...and there are the people who despite all the differences are so much like you and me.
You really don't know what to expect at all.
You open your heart and mind and just take it all in.
I was thinking this morning that my life is exactly the same way right now...
Not at all what I thought it would be...and I really don't know what to expect at all anymore.
It's not good or bad. It's just different.
I was reminded of this as I spent the last several days scouring my Europe books in preparation for my visit to France and Italy next month. I know there will be sights and sounds and smells and tastes that are not exactly what I am used to. In fact, they will be totally different. Four years and three European vacations later, I actually think this is exactly why I love traveling so much.
I LOVE to see and experience the differences in each of the cultures all the while realizing that we are really all so very much the same. The woman who cleans that toilet hole in Italy loves her children. The man who brought out those fish heads on a platter has to pay his rent this month. The children drinking wine in Paris laugh with each other while playing their video game at the table. And the guy selling marijuana in Amsterdam is trying to save up enough money to take his family to Disney World next year. They all laugh and cry, they enjoy a good meal, they have bills to pay and all appreciate a good night's sleep.
On that first trip to Europe I realized how easy it was to get on a plane and be in another world in just a matter of hours. Honestly, though, in the amount of time it took for us to get out of the airport and on to the streets of London--seeing people drinking coffee at Starbucks and venturing into McDonald's for a McCrumpet--I knew that we had not really gone very far at all.
Of course there's a language barrier, the need to exchange dollars for euros or pounds, there's the pay toilets and half-cooked bacon...but then there's the ruins and museums and pasta and crepes and wine...and there are the people who despite all the differences are so much like you and me.
You really don't know what to expect at all.
You open your heart and mind and just take it all in.
I was thinking this morning that my life is exactly the same way right now...
Not at all what I thought it would be...and I really don't know what to expect at all anymore.
It's not good or bad. It's just different.
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