Sheron Long's Blog, page 19
May 2, 2017
65 Countries in One Day
Elegantly dressed young dancers perform outside the Embassy of Peru in Washington, DC.
© Joyce McGreevy
Crossing Cultures at Passport DC
Crossing cultures, collecting passport stamps—the appetite for travel is insatiable. When I heard about an opportunity to visit more than 65 countries I was intrigued. Imagine, the sheer feast of cultural heritage and traditions!
But a multi-country tour? It recalled the 1969 movie, If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. In that screwball comedy, a busload of tourists barrel through Europe so fast they don’t know where they’ve been until they get their photos developed.
So I settled for nine countries—on a Saturday. Welcome to the Around the World Embassy Tour, an annual day of “Oh, I see” moments in Washington, DC.
Every year, over a quarter of million people from around the world attend Passport...
April 24, 2017
When Worlds Converse
A handwritten word list in Greek is a global citizen’s treasured gift.
© Joyce McGreevy
Language Lessons for Global Citizens
When you travel, what languages do you speak? After all, every day you navigate a rich linguistic landscape—and that’s before you leave North America. As a global citizen, you’re more predisposed to becoming multilingual than you may realize.
For example, did you ever
attend kindergarten, use a thesaurus, or study algebra?
wear corduroy or khaki, moccasins or a parka?
observe graffiti or a replica?
blitz through work like a ninja, or do yoga on a patio?
Just by reading that list, you utilized German, Greek, Arabic, French, Urdu, Algonquian, Russian, Italian, Yiddish, Japanese, Sanskrit, Spanish, and more. Our everyday English speech is a mosaic of world languages.
In Bulgaria, poetry on a utility box (...
April 17, 2017
Kathputli: Traditions of Fire, Puppets, and Magic
A handmade puppet dances for her puppeteer inside a Kathputli Colony jhuggi.
© Meredith Mullins
Cultural Encounters in the Slums of India
The labyrinthine streets lead from one palette of wild color to another—from carnival reds and yellows to candy pinks and lavenders to soothing blue and green pastels.
The stripes and flowers and polka dots of the freshly washed clothes that hang in every possible open space make the colors of the buildings even more festive.
The Kathputli Colony in living color
© Meredith Mullins
Smells of curry and turmeric drift in the dusty air. And sounds of daily life and laughter create an uninterrupted soundtrack.
Cultural encounters in the Kathputli Colony in the Shadipur Depot area of west Delhi are filled with “Oh, I see” moments.
A community filled with smiles
© Meredith Mullins
The Slum Truth
I thought I had a hint of...
April 3, 2017
Idyllic, Yet Never Idle
Parts of the original Chora, the hilltop capital of Serifos, date back to 3 BCE.
© Joyce McGreevy
When Wanderlust Leads to Serifos
I’m on Serifos—and the side effects are wonderful. What sounds like a lyrical Big-Pharma trade name is actually a tiny Greek island, part of the Cyclades southeast of mainland Greece. Wanderlust has led me here. Around 225 of Greece’s 6,000 islands are inhabited. Their populations quadruple with tourists every summer.
But I’m traveling in January to the bafflement of friends. Why Serifos? Why now? One high-powered chum tells me, “Wait till summer, go to Hydra, Mykonos, or Santorini. There’s a fantastic party scene and I’ll introduce you to a TON of contacts.”
And there’s your answer, folks. Because I don’t want to do “the scene,” exchange business cards over cocktails, sign up for “kick-ass Pilates classes,” have my...
March 27, 2017
A Trunk Full of Travel Adventures
A regal procession in Rajasthan, India
© Meredith Mullins
The Elegance of Elephants
I have been thinking a lot about elephants lately. (That’s not often an opening line for a story about travel adventures, is it?)
In fact, I’ve been thinking about elephants for a long time—ever since Dumbo mustered the courage to fly, ever since Manfred the wooly mammoth survived the Ice Age, and ever since Horton heard his Who.
Elephants (and elephant characters) have enriched our lives for many years. They are evolved creatures worth studying and worth getting to know in an “up close and personal” way.
We can learn much from our elephant friends, especially where human/elephant contact is offered in a safe and healthy way for the elephants.
Elephants in Amboseli National Park in Kenya
© Tatiana Morozova/iStock
Elephants in the News
Recent news events have again brought...
March 13, 2017
Travel Tips: Check in More, Carry on Less
Instead of packing in more and more, reflect on traveling light. (Bergen, Norway)
© Joyce McGreevy
Lessons Learned from Traveling Full Time
Travel is packed with learning experiences, like when to check in and what to carry on. Here are a few travel tips and lessons learned from traveling full time.
Don’t get jet-lagged before the flight.
Don’t fry before you fly. (Somewhere over Arizona)
© Joyce McGreevy
Does your travel checklist rival the Labors of Hercules? Racing from mall to mall, turning down invitations from loved ones, packing at 2 am for a 6 am flight—that’s no way to transition into travel.
Other countries have stores, too. Currently, I’m on a tiny Greek island located a day’s journey from anywhere. With a population of around 1,000, there are just a few shops in the island’s only town—and each is remarkably well stocked.
...
March 6, 2017
Different Cultures Share a Supermarket Dream
La Louve: A new Paris food co-op is born from a cross-cultural dream.
© Meredith Mullins
La Louve: A Paris Food Co-op Innovation
You wouldn’t expect a supermarket to grab newspaper headlines. But La Louve, a new food co-op in Paris, has been doing just that.
What makes it newsworthy? It’s the first cooperative supermarket in Paris—a social experiment where members are responsible for the direction and daily functioning of the enterprise.
It has the added unique quality of being modeled after an American food co-op and creatively sculpted to work in France. An intriguing blend of different cultures.
A supermarket for all ages
© Meredith Mullins
Realizing a Dream
France is not new to the concept of cooperatives and is certainly not new to the advantages of blending the best of distinctive cultures.
There were some challenges, however, as Americans Tom...
February 27, 2017
Nobody in Bulgaria Is Calling You a Hobo
Not all who wander Bulgarian streets are lost, just the non-Bulgarians.
© Joyce McGreevy
When Learning a Second Language
Means Learning a Second Alphabet
Your mission? Walk to the store. The one with signs that say “HOBO!” Funny, many stores in Bulgaria display that word. Why? You’re learning a second language, but hobo is nowhere in your phrasebook.
Even more mystifying to an English speaker? Bulgarian maps.
Should I turn наляво or надясно? And which is which?
Someone tells you, “Bilingual signs are everywhere.” So off you go, innocent as the day you were born. Sure enough, you find a sign with two versions of a street name.
Breakthrough? Nope. Because the sign isn’t actually bilingual. You’re looking at two distinct alphabets showcasing one common language.
Oh sure, the Roman script looks familiar because,...
February 13, 2017
Not Just Another Day at the Beach
Life and livelihood from the sea in M’Bour, Senegal
© Meredith Mullins
A Photographer’s Dream: Travel Adventures in Senegal
Travel adventures are triggered in many different ways. Journeys to exotic lands. Serendipitous celebrations. Unexpected challenges. New friendships with strangers. Losing yourself to the rhythms of wherever you are.
Falling in step with the local rhythms
© Meredith Mullins
The travel adventures of this story center on a memorable day at a Senegal beach.
It all started with the washing of a horse. And, as I always say, “When you begin your day with a ceremonial horse washing, the promise of greatness is in the air.”
The washing of the horse: a perfect way to start a day of travel adventures
© Meredith Mullins
An M’Bour Adventure
I was relaxing on a café terrace in M’Bour, looking out toward the edge of the...
January 16, 2017
Best Way to Experience Yosemite?
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Mountains of experience reach beyond the edge of the picture frame.
© Sam Anaya
Open Your Eyes, Take Home the Full Picture
Whenever I set foot in Yosemite, I feel the need to capture the grandeur of nature, extend the experience, and take it home with me. But, on this trip, I put my camera down and heeded a quote from Henry David Thoreau:
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.
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Is it possible to capture the intangible essence of an experience in a photo?
Or, do you just need to be there?
© Sam Anaya
How did I reach that decision? I found myself surrounded by other travelers engulfed in recording their experiences, one eye always shut as they looked through the lens of a camera. I...
