It should be international law to spend a certain time of our lives in a completely different country, with no option of return, with no security net, no soft blanket (and be it the size of a credit card.) It would be such an incredibly healthy thing if we could go to places, not as blood sucking tourists, or business tourists or "liberation tourists", but actual, real, naked under the clothes... people. One should be limited to the famous two suitcases (at best), have no place to stay and ideally no friends in the foreign country.
Just imagine what the world would be like if each one of us HAD to make friends in other countries, just to survive. If learning a language would be rewarded with food rather than a grade in class... Hmm... And then the experiences? I promise they would be incredible. And then one could write home about them. About the differences, and the similarities. The new things, the better things, the other special things. Just like the great explorers wrote about things, except (again...) no bringing of weapons, no business, no trying to "liberate". Go all by yourself and listen, rather than going in as an army and tell...
Well, and then, among other things, you could find yourself in transit... and add to a new international group blog called... Lost in transit. As of today (the blog is officially launched today) there are ten authors. You know some of them (at least one!): There is Mig, an American now in Austria, Kim an American in France, Eeksy-Peeksy also American in Poland, Francis (American in Sweden), Deb, an American in New Zealand, miss anthropy is also originally from the States and now in the wonderful Canada, Waspish New Zealender in Japan, the amazing Miss Shauny, who you thought was still in Australia but is now in Scotland, Sue, yet another American in the Netherlands and... me, described as a Polish guy in New York.
I like being the Polish guy in New York, as I actually have a German passport and New York is indeed like its own little country. : )
So if you have not clicked on any of the eleven links above, you should do so now. I haven not contributed to lost in transit yet, but I think I will run out in a few minutes and grab a new york coffee and then come back to write. (Or maybe I should do my taxes... hmm... yeah... maybe I should... do my taxes...)
I would like to really, really, really thank Mig for adding me to this quite incredible project. I think we are onto something here, people. This is going to be really good!
What, you're not Polish? They told me you were Polish! "Since when is 'Riedel' a Polish name?" I said. But they insisted.
Should I change that to 'German', then?
Hello Mig,
my greencard says I am Polish. My Passport says I am German.
And I guess this is why I am so happy that you include me in your project, because we escaped from Poland when I was 11, making it the first time I was lost in transit... and then I decided to move to New York in 1996... so a second time.
Witold is a very Polish first name, Riedel is a very German last name. : )
so I am both...
or just a New Yorker.
You can leave Polish, you can change it to Polish/German or you can make it German...
: )
and it will all be true.
Thank you again for including me. I really feel honored. (now I will just need to start writing...)
This is an excellent idea. What a great opportunity!
I think that's a terrific idea. But, I wish more people would get involved in international travel/exchange at an early age. Well there is something kinda like that for teenagers - called American Field service http://www.afs.org. You are put in a home and school, but the rest is up to you. It's a great program, and in some ways I wish it were mandatory for all teenagers.
as far as i know, mormon boys have to spend one year out of the country and away from their family.
i am most certainly naive to believe that people would kill each other less if they only understood each other better. the issues are far more complex, of course... hmm...
oh, anything it takes. anything.