Pictures from my adventure here!

I really wish that I could actually take this trip because I think that it's a fun idea. Travel is a transforming experience and if you make a journey to somewhere truly different than what you're used to, it's hard for there not to be some type of change inside. I learned a lot from my real experience abroad this summer and I think that I could learn so much more if I really entered into these people's lives and let them into mine. The greatest things that I gained from my previous experience was a new sense of adventure and new friends. I went on my trip slightly hesitant and actually regretful the night before I left. I remember sitting in bed thinking, "Why do I do these things to myself? I'm too scared!" I blame part of my fear on the ignorance that the media hands out to people. We're so used to being fed the worst news that we just imagine the worst is going to happen on a trip abroad. A million questions run through our head, "Am I going to get lost?", "What if I get left behind?" (which actually did happen once but it wasn't the end of the world), "What if we get stoned for being American?" I now don't fear these things anymore when traveling somewhere different. It was a good growing experience and I made new American friends. This time I want to make some new foreign friends to increase understanding.
I wasn't exactly sure how to approach this project when getting the assignment, but I think that I came up with a unique idea. It's hard to write about a trip you haven't taken yet, but I think I did my best at trying to help the reader see things from my perspective. I find that to be an important part of travel writing. You want the reader to understand where you are coming from and feel like you are on the journey with them. I think that this would fit in the genre of travel writing because it talks about a learning experience. Not all travel is about learning something new, but I think that a lot of it is. This trip definitely fits into that category, however I didn't actually take the trip so I don't think I'll be sending this to lonely planet anytime soon. I'm really glad that I now have a better understand of this genre of writing. Reading transforms you to new places, but travel writing transforms you to real places and inspires you to bring yourself to a new level of understanding. I really hope that if I ever do take a trip like this I can inspire understanding of cultures between myself and foreign people.

When I first started researching countries that weren't exactly thrilled with the American's, I was surprised to see Italy was a part of the bunch. After visiting this summer, I felt that for the most part the Italians were friendly. There was a little miscommunication here and there, but overall they were nice and willing to help if you needed it. Out of all the places I have written about, Italy is definitely the one I want to visit the most even though I've already been there. There really isn't anything I dislike about the Italian lifestyle. Yes, they drive pretty crazy and I could live without that, but there are subways and trains so it's really not that necessary to drive. In addition, they love to eat good food and see the importance of family and friends. Everywhere I looked there was beauty to be seen, whether it was in the city of Rome or the island of Capri. After I visited, I even searched through real estate prices on the internet in case I want my vacation home there someday.
I feel that if I were to visit there today, I would have a great advantage since I know a lot about the country already. There are some things that just can't be learned from a guidebook. I never would have known many of the cultural differences in Italy if I had never been there before. Who would have guessed that there is no such thing as salad dressing? When I went to McDonalds and ordered a salad I asked what kind of dressing they had. I remember the girl giving me a funny look and handing me a pack of olive oil. LIttle things like that I find so fascinating. The only downfall of my entire trip was the fact that I didn't make any Italian friends. Study abroad was a little different than most schools because I as learning with American's from my school. This made the experience less intimidating, however I would have liked to spend more time with the actual people because I think you learn a lot more that way. So when I go to Italy again as an abassador, I definitely will try the couch surfing idea again. I would love to stay with someone in Castel Gandolfo because I just loved it there or perhaps someone in Venice. Really, I could stay anywhere as long as the food was good and the scenery was better.
I'm really excited to go back again because I often find myself looking through old pictures or reading Italian news because I miss it so much. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I think that if anybody has the chance to travel, they definitely should. Going there opened my eyes to a different way of life and I feel less ignorant after seeing how life is lived somewhere else. Really, the key to getting along in this world is less ignorance about one another, which is why I came up with this whole idea of being an abassador in the first place. If we just take the time to see things from someone else's perspective instead of insisting that the way we do everyhting is "better", then I think we could make a lot of progress. It's all about less talk and more listen!

I’ll admit, Germany is not a country that I really wanted to visit that badly. It’s not as glamorous as France or as witty as England, but I’m sure there is something here that I would find interesting. After learning that Germans don’t really care too much for Americans, I figured that I would definitely have to visit a place like this. The good thing about Germany, is that I already have a pen pal living here, so I will definitely have to stay with her over couch surfing. Christina has been my e-mail friend for the past year now and I really like writing to her. It’s fun to hear about what she has to say about her country and we compare differences. This is a blurb from one of our earlier e-mails:

Well I live in a small village called Botenheim, but the next city called 

Brackenheim is just five minutes away(if you go by car or bus). When i want to 

go out or go shopping i normaly drive to Heilbronn, which is a big city, it's an 

hour away from Stuttgart. As i don't really like Discos that much, i mostly go 

to cafes like Alex, Manhattan,...I really enjoy the cocktails there :-) But 

Heilbronn has a lot of discos like the Musicpark, GreenDoor,... But they're 

always so crowed and i don't really like that, you can barely move in there, 

really bad... Well shopping is great!! I love it! Oh by the way i still have to 

buy some boots and sweatshirts for winter :D We have stores like the New Yorker, 

H&M, Orsay, Pimkie,... Do you know any of them?? Do you have them, too?? Well 

what do we eat?? Germany is a fast food country. Lots of McDonalds, Burger Kings, 

Kebap, Nordsee(you can get fish here) and so on, well i have to admit that i 

love McDonalds(just can't resist it, which is too bad)

 

At this point, I had never been to Europe and I imagined it to be completely different, almost like another world. In a lot of ways it is, but judging by this e-mail it sounds like we have a lot in common. While it's kind of disappointing how much McDonald's has infiltrated society, I must admit that while in Rome I just had to eat at the biggest McDonald's in the world. How very American of me! Anyways, having an international pen pal has really opened my eyes to the way things are outside of this country so I definitely appreciate having a friend in a foreign place.I  know that when I visit, Christina will probably show me all around her town and her life and this I feel is the most authentic traveling of all. With someone you already somewhat know it's a lot easier to get acquainted so we can get past the small talk and get to the good parts of Germany.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to see in Germany because I had never really thought too much about visiting it. One of the places on lonely planet that looked interesting to visit was Frankfurt which is a really big city with museums and a good nightlife. In addition, I definitely wanted to visit Berlin for the history aspect of Germany. I also hope to visit some smaller towns because I find that those seem to be the most authentic, at least that's how it was in Italy anyways. Germany should be a good time. At the very least I can hang out with Christina!

 

 I’m really excited to visit England because they’re kind of like American’s except they have a much more posh quality to them. I enjoy the laid back approach of American’s more than anybody, but I find that sometimes it’s fun to pretend that you’re really stuck up and have a British accent. I’m not sure how my accent would pass, but I can say “Arry Pawtah” better than anybody I know. Yes, I assume that’s how all English people speak. They just go around screaming Harry Potter’s name all day long. I’m sure I’m in for quite a surprise as to how the English really are. I mean, I’ve already used a couple of stereotypes in describing them myself so perhaps I will be enlightened.

 

It’s very important that I have a super amazing couch surfing friend to take me around my new country, especially London where I plan on staying. Perhaps they could take me to the pub and I can meet all of their English friends! I’ve always thought of the English as a sarcastic, witty bunch with a slight pessimistic tone to their humor. Or should I say humour! Before leaving I’ve decided that I should probably brush up on my British slang so I’ve chosen a few of my favorite words here that might be of interest. God knows I don’t want anyone to give me a funny look if I ever tell them I’m really pissed that Manchester United lost. (p.s. it means drunk not angry!)

English=American

Chips=French fries

Crisps=Chips

Ace=excellent

Alright? =Hello how are you?

Any road=anyways

Bob’s your uncle= And that’s it!

Her Majesty’s Pleasure=to be put in prison

Kip=short sleep

I’ll be really interested to see if people actually use any of these words, but they’re a lot of fun to say. It’s a lot better than American slang. I think I’ve had enough of shizzle, dude, and the other worn out words that were okay for maybe ’98 but not 2008.

 

Besides trying to tell my new English friends about America and learning about their lives growing up, I plan on indulging in the tourist traps. I will be the first to admit that while I’m all about being authentic, I will shamelessly indulge in tourism because it pays for people’s jobs. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. I really want to visit the usual Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Tower Bridge, and the rest of the must-sees. Besides these, I want to see the London Dungeon, which is basically a very famous haunted house in London and the train station with platform 9 and ¾ from Harry Potter. I guess I’m not as rugged and authentic as I thought, but I’m willing to depart with my hardcore reputation.

France, the home of wine and baguettes. The birthplace of great literature and art. It’s the perfect place for me to begin my journey and the perfect place to discover a new culture. I find myself intrigued by the French people and in a way, I feel almost as if we are kindred spirits. You see, the French haven’t had it so easy in the stereotype department either. Just off the top of my head I can name a few stereotypes, such as the fact that they are rude, dirty, or my personal favorite “cheese eating surrender monkeys” (how many times have we been privy to that one?). It seems as if we already share some common ground. In addition, I’ve found it to be to my advantage that I already have had four years of French, one of those being in college. As someone who has already been to Italy, I only know how difficult it is when there is a language barrier. I speak English and sometimes there is miscommunication between my fellow Americans and I let alone speaking in French! This is a great advantage to have so it puts the pressure off a little bit. In addition, my grandmother is from France so if I happen to irritate the French people enough I can always take sanctuary at the home of a relative. My relatives have really cool names such as Jaque and Mimi so I’ve decided that if I’m going to live like a Franc, then I’m going to have to pronounce my name like so, Mee-shell (that’s how my grandma used to say it). I also know the name of the President, Nicolas Sarkozy. He is quite the talk of the town as he has married a beautiful model who loves to have her picture taken. I think I might have to brush up on my French gossip so that I have something to talk about with the locals (-;

 

Besides communication, there is that pesky problem of finding somewhere to stay. The couch surfing website, while seemingly shady at first, has eased my fears somewhat in crashing on a strangers couch. The website even has it’s own mission statement:

 

"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance, and facilitate cultural understanding."

 

This sounds exactly like what I am trying to accomplish. It’s amazing how sharing a couch with someone can improve global harmony. I’m hoping this rings true, but I guess I’m just an idealistic American. The website itself is setup by having each member create a profile and then having people vouch for you if you are a cool person or not. While not completely infallible, it does ease my fears of bunking with Jack the Ripper a little bit. Besides if you don’t want anyone in your house you can always refuse requests or you have the option of just getting coffee with a foreigner. The website has over 800,000 members and over 15,000 of them are located in Paris alone. In addition there have been over a million positive experiences, as reported by the members of the website. The map on the website also shows that there are members all over the world, just in case I want to jet off to Brazil another time. Finally, most of the members are in my age range, which is always a plus. Not that I’m against older folk, I just think I might have more in common with those my age. After going through all of my stringent requirements, I've found a girl named Hamil who is 25 and has been vouched for several times. She speaks English and she has enough room for two, both myself and a friend.

Besides finding a place in Paris, there are a few places in France that I just have to visit. Of course I want to make my primary location the glamorous city of Paris, but I also want to visit Nice for it's beautiful beaches, Cannes for it's film festival, and Normandy for the history aspect of the Battle of Normandy. I'm very excited to experience all of this and I will write as soon as I return.
 

At the very least, the idea of couch surfing is frightening. At the very most, it's throwing myself into the fire. I'm not really sure what I was thinking when I decided that I not only wanted to (attempt to) conquer the reputation of the United States and it's people but to also immerse myself into a foreign environment by "surfing" on someone's couch. Am I having an (almost) quarter life crisis? It's hard to say when the insanity of this trip is sitting right in front of me, but I figure that at the very least it will make for very good travel writing. How many people can actually say that they have influenced the thoughts of people in a foreign country? Not many, and I sure hope that I am one of them. True, Americans do have some stereotypical behaviors, but all in all I think that we're a good bunch. People just need to give us a chance and over look some uh....things from the past....Well, anyways Au revoir as I make my way to my first stop in France!

As was discussed earlier, I’m going all around Europe for my trip. During my trip, I decided I’m going to stay with various families and learn about their lives. The ultimate goal of the trip however, is to begin repairing our reputation abroad. That being said, I will need to bring a lot with me, besides my best behavior.

            First off, I think it’s absolutely essential to bring the right clothes to wear and detergent in the right language. When traveling to Italy this summer, I found myself utterly confused with the array of chemicals with which to wash your clothes, all of them being in Italian. This turned out to be a problem because I ended up washing them with fabric softener. One would think that when going to the store you could use context clues to understand what certain items were. Alas, this was not the case with me. In addition, it’s nice to have some American items with you that you may miss while abroad. I was seriously jonesing (is that even a word?) for some Doritos while I was there, as well as some other items. In addition, my wardrobe has to be practical and able to fit all occasions. While it might be a good idea to have Rick Steves help me with this since he’s such a sensible guy, I have a feeling he would just pack me a bunch of khaki pants and shoes with Velcro straps on them. Perhaps I could have him sit on my suitcase if I stuff too much stuff in there.

            Besides clothing, I would also need a gypsy proof bag. I’m not exactly sure how prevalent gypsies are in places besides Italy, but it is best to be prepared. When traveling this summer I ended up taking this Hawaiian looking bag from K-Mart. It certainly did the job, but I’m sure I didn’t win any style points with the Italians. If you didn’t already know, Italians always look very stylish.  By the end of the trip, the bag was so dirty it looked like I fished it out from a dumpster. The good thing about it was that it didn’t have any pockets, only one zipper so thankfully I never got gypsied.

            Finally, I would need to take an adventurous spirit. I think I already have one but I’m not as adventurous as somebody who would say, jump into a freezing lake! But I figure these types of things take time to develop so the next time I’m in Europe I definitely need to jump into a freezing lake, in the metaphorical sense anyways. This means I need to challenge all preconceived beliefs of the place I am visiting before I actually visit it. In addition I need to recognize my fears.  As was discussed in class, we all have reservations about traveling, whether that be a fear of getting lost, riding in a plane, or pissing off the pope. When we analyze these fears, we are then able to decide whether they are rational or not. Even if what you fear is completely possible, it’s best to just throw caution to the wind and do it anyways.

A story about a pet:
I have three cats, two of which are siamese. I am now convinced that these types of cats are clinically insane. No, really, they are. My own personal cat Hazel enjoys running down the hall at nothing while meowing incessantly.My sisters cat Violet enjoys throwing herself into walls at nothing and hiding underneath the bedcovers where you could easily sit on her. We call her "Kitten Magoo". She also sasses you if you tell her no. "Violet get down from there!" "Rar, rar, rar,". God forbid if you ever forget to feed them in the morning, they come in your bedroom while your sleeping and sit on you and stare, like they're about to chew your face off from their starvation.

An encounter with unfriendly technology:
I used to have the most annoying computer that ever existed. It would take at least a half hour to turn on and once you had it on, it moved like molasses. So in high school I had this project where I had to research animals A-Z complete with pictures and descriptions. Right when I was about to print everything out, it totally froze on me. I was sleep deprived and so upset that I ripped the chord out and almost went Office Space on it. Perhaps I kicked it a little, but besides that I restrained myself. Then I decided that maybe I should pray, "Please God, if you turn this computer back on I'll be the best human being that ever lived! Mother Theresa's got nothin'!" God must have not been too confident because it never turned back on.

An incident you witnessed where Gender played an important role:
Going to Italy you really understand how big a deal gender is there. I became used to seeing women being harassed on a daily basis. Seriously, it's nothing that I've ever seen in my entire life. If you ever go to Italy and have blonde hair, prepare to be harassed, which could be anything from, "Help me learn english!" to kissing you on the cheek. Then if you decide to go to the beach, no amount of swimming will be possible. You'll get surrounded, especially if there is a whole group of girls together. The lines they say are the most amusing of all. I really wonder how often they work.

                 Before arriving in our travel writing class, I had never thought that traveling could produce such an array of writers and experiences. I had read “Eat, Pray, Love” and “The Geography of Bliss” (both excellent books), however besides these two writings, I had never really read about the journeys of the other writers we have studied in class. Travel writing it seems, doesn’t necessarily produce the hype that a Jackie Collins novel or a Dr. Phil self help book would. This is an unfortunate side effect of poor marketing, however with the enormous success of “Eat, Pray, Love”, the only thing that writers such as Tim Cahill need is an endorsement from Oprah.

 It’s safe to say that travel writing is on its way up and that we will see increasing amounts of books in the library dedicated to the art of travel. With the addition of such writers, there will be an addition of travel writing styles, each with their own perspectives. My favorite type of writing we have seen so far is narratives dedicated to the authentic experience. It’s hard to say what is authentic and what isn’t because it seems that everyone has a different idea. I’m not so much caught up in the logistics of it because it really is up to the individual to decide. However, my personal opinion is that if the person traveling has truly experienced something outside of themselves and learned something in the process then there is nothing more authentic than that. In addition, if one can read about the positive changes in an individual after they have taken their journeys, then the job of the travel writer has been done.

Narratives in the style of an authentic travel experience cover much of what we have read about in class. Most of the writers we have seen are searching for a real experience, not a Motel 6. That being said, they have all managed to incorporate their personalities into their styles of writing. Matthiesen uses a lot of detailed imagery. It’s not my favorite type of writing to read, but it’s his way of expressing his experience to the rest of us. Then we can see Twain using lots of humor to show us that an authentic experience is nothing without the eccentric characters that one may come across. Finally, we can see Dalrymple using history in his writing to show us how these places he visits came to be and where they are going next. All of the experiences are authentic in their own way, but different in the execution of the story. One trip can lead to five different interpretations and the same can be said of authenticity. Styles of writing reveal much about the personalities of those writing about the experience; however this can lead a lot of things unsaid. For example, with Matthiesen his own feelings about the experience can be lost amongst the details of his surroundings. Therefore, the only way to truly experience travel writing is to go and do it yourself!