Monday, January 28, 2008
Falling in Love with Culture Shock, Brazil 2006.
Shock can be an incredibly positive experience. Sure, it runs the risk of hurting you mentally, if not physically, especially if the shock is completely unexpected, but it can also be a true awakening. Shock can be the moment that provides the jolt out of your rut, and open up a perspective not previously seen. When it comes to Culture Shock, with an open mind it helps you respect and appreciate new locales and people more, or at the very least provide you with a newfound appreciation for the way of life that you currently enjoy.
Case in point, it's mid morning in Brazil. Bleary eyed, I stumble off a Delta jet, on my own looking to find my way to Rio de Janeiro. In a country that I've never before seen, and with a language completely foreign to me, Culture Shock hit me hard, strong and in a way before that I've never felt. Riding through the giant metropolis that is so dangerous to the well off that the rich use helicopters instead of cars to avoid kidnapping, it was hard not to feel intimidated as the hundreds of thousands of tin shacks sprawl out to either side of me. In a city that looked both decayed and somewhat attractive in its seeming lawlessness, I sat in relative comfort on a motorcoach filled with mostly Brazilians traveling the same route. The disparity wasn't lost on me, and I felt more than my share of guilt as we sped down the road, with a backpack in the bowels of the bus worth more than a lot of the riders probably made in a week or more.
As I fought off sleep, to catch my first views of South America, I ended up wandering through a truck stop to grab some lunch. My complete inability to communicate at this point making even the simplest meal a chore to grab. Even "Thank You" seemed impossible to say, but slowly, over the bread and meat, I started to grab my bearings. I started to notice the differences and similarities. I started to find my rhythm on the road. I started to love the country I found thanks to a week's vacation and a sale on airfare. I felt hopelessly lost and at the same time endlessly grateful. There was so much to see, so much to learn, so much to do. And as I stuffed the last of the greasy sandwich in my mouth, I was ready to do that. Just as soon as I figured out how to find the restroom.
This post was inspired by a book review, I read at Knife Tricks this week.
Case in point, it's mid morning in Brazil. Bleary eyed, I stumble off a Delta jet, on my own looking to find my way to Rio de Janeiro. In a country that I've never before seen, and with a language completely foreign to me, Culture Shock hit me hard, strong and in a way before that I've never felt. Riding through the giant metropolis that is so dangerous to the well off that the rich use helicopters instead of cars to avoid kidnapping, it was hard not to feel intimidated as the hundreds of thousands of tin shacks sprawl out to either side of me. In a city that looked both decayed and somewhat attractive in its seeming lawlessness, I sat in relative comfort on a motorcoach filled with mostly Brazilians traveling the same route. The disparity wasn't lost on me, and I felt more than my share of guilt as we sped down the road, with a backpack in the bowels of the bus worth more than a lot of the riders probably made in a week or more.
As I fought off sleep, to catch my first views of South America, I ended up wandering through a truck stop to grab some lunch. My complete inability to communicate at this point making even the simplest meal a chore to grab. Even "Thank You" seemed impossible to say, but slowly, over the bread and meat, I started to grab my bearings. I started to notice the differences and similarities. I started to find my rhythm on the road. I started to love the country I found thanks to a week's vacation and a sale on airfare. I felt hopelessly lost and at the same time endlessly grateful. There was so much to see, so much to learn, so much to do. And as I stuffed the last of the greasy sandwich in my mouth, I was ready to do that. Just as soon as I figured out how to find the restroom.
This post was inspired by a book review, I read at Knife Tricks this week.
Labels: brazil, culture shock, travel
Roger, 4:43 PM
1 Comments:
Excellent blog, you are a very good writer. Are you in the travel industry? Sorry if I somehow missed that in one of your posts
Jason Mercy, at January 28, 2008 10:36 PM
