1/3/14
What does it mean to be a tourist?
I like to be prepared: ready, confident, in the know. As a tourist, I already feel like I’m not confident, and I’m definitely not in the know, but at the very least, I am ready. Ready to learn, ready to observe, and ready to try new foods and experiences. I’m already expecting to frustrate the natives and embarrass myself, but it can only help me become stronger, right?
As I write this, I already feel guilty. In the security line at Dulles only a few hours ago, a family with a baby and stroller were going as slow as molasses and creating a logjam in the line. They were taking (what I deemed to be) an excessive amount of time getting their passports out and answering questions from the guards. I thought, “Come on, how easy is this process? Why is this taking so long? They should know how to do this.” When they started speaking a foreign language, my heart dropped. I imagined myself holding up a line in Paris or Budapest, not knowing certain processes or how to answer the questions from authorities. Was I going to be that family from the airport during the next 13 days?
Being a tourist means being out of place. Whether your clothes don’t seem to follow the area’s fashions or you’re language is different, tourists stand out. Results of “touristy” interactions can range from impatience and frustration to fascination and awe. I have a feeling that I will likely experience each of this within the next two weeks.
More than any other attribute, I think that it is crucial for a tourist to have positivity. If I, as a tourist, am truly interested and show that I care about the new country, I can only hope that the natives will respect my attitude so that conversations can happen smoothly!
***Post-trip afterthoughts: I was so comforted by the interactions I had with the natives of the countries we visited. Especially in restaurants, I really do think that they appreciated my attempts at simple French, German, and Hungarian phrases. Likewise, I was relieved that the waiters and waitresses tried to speak English to us as well. Leave it to food to unite different nationalities and languages!
TravelWritingAcrossEurope 