How to be a souvenir traveller
Souvenirs are some of my favourite ways to travel from home. I have quite the collection. And here is the thing, I did not buy them for myself. I know a lot of travellers and I am ashamed to say that I am not ashamed to badger them for a souvenir and a story.
Souvenirs + stories let me live vicariously through others. If for some reason you can’t live vicariously through yourself (can I even use it that way?), then in my experience hounding others for their experiences is the next best thing. Which I did in the time when it was impossible for me to get on my broom and go. Every time that I get a souvenir and a story I feel like a kid in a candy store. Sometimes that is the only way one gets to experience travel – through others. I treasure my friends and the souvenirs that they have taken the time to get me.
Souvenirs result in me getting a keepsake of some foreign land, seeing photos and hearing some stories. This, let us call it a method, has seen me travel almost all around the globe. I have learned a lot from others’ travels and the souvenirs and stories that they have brought back. One gets a way better understanding of a place than just google-ing or travel channel-ing it. From your friends, you will most certainly find the skinny on the places that they have visited. The things that they will not tell you on Top Billing.
From friends I have learned that the Chinese will spit and that if you are a germaphobe to stay away. They will give you a buffet of heads at gala dinners and that very view people speak English. Boy, will you be in trouble, like my friends who, due to this language barrier, missed their flight. And they made me believe that they were served worms on their eventual flight home. Come on, if they give you goose heads, then worms are a definite possibility. Especially when you get to see ‘proof’ in pictures. After they had their fun they told me that the worms were just some crazy noodle.
I have made a Japanese friend though my ventures at the School of Languages. I was thrilled to receive a postcard from her. In turn, I sent her a box of rooibos tea which she told me she loved but could not find. I also wanted to send rooibos to my Australian, but after seeing their show on Border Patrol, I was not too sure that they will allow tee in. So she in turn only got a letter without any goodies.
Getting back to the East, the keychain from Malaysia gives me an edge when playing trivial pursuit. Because before the chain, I would have been unable to answer questions relating to the Petronas Towers. I have never heard of the towers before my receival of the keychain.
I have learned, that although starfish are exotic foods in some places, not to eat them. Ever. The description that I got went like this: It tasted like a dead fish that lay on the beach in the sun for days, and then you eat that with the sand around it.
Friends went to Croatia and brought me back pictures and stories. If it was not for them I would not know of Zagreb and Split. Croatia, a place that few people know or talk about is incredibly beautiful and definitely on my bucket list. It seems an un-tourist-discovered gem (but will all the good stories tourists tell that will rapidly change) probably because of the long-ago war. I had a Serbian colleague who told horror stories of that war, so I can imagine how war has tainted what is perceived of the now beautiful area.
It is not just far off countries, but also Africa offering travel opportunities. I have a friend who travels a lot in Africa and she always brings me the best souvenirs. My Rwanda ‘pearls’ I wear a lot, and through her trip, I have learned a great deal about Rwanda and Burundi.
One time she went to Ghana. I asked her to SMS me whenever possible the name of the town that she was at. O my word! I was shocked to my core by the things that I found when searching for where she was. The picture that I found online mirrored her feedback when she came back. She brought me pretty Ghana earrings but very un-pretty stories. Not going to Ghana, is near the top of my bucket list. Way further north is Morocco, from which I am fortunate enough to have souvenirs. Because of that, and the google-ing that went along with my gifts, I have another bucket list country.
Staying in Northern Africa, I have heard a few tales of Egypt. I have no keepsakes of there only stories. A friend of mine went there, and she had to go and buy a ring to put on her ring finger, otherwise, people would keep approaching the men in the group to try and buy her. That is noted on my side. If ever I get to the ancient country I will take along the biggest fake diamond ring that I can find. Another friend, this time a man, brought back stories of pyramids and camel rides. I would love to see the pyramids, but there is no way that I will go in there.
Aa, and then there is Israel. I have heard how great the Holy Land is and that it is like seeing the Bible in 3D. Once, I paid a deposit that was supposed to ensure me going there, but a month before, the tour got cancelled. I have yet to find another opportunity like that, but it is definitely up there on my to-do list. Luckily, I got to scroll through others’ photos, and until I can get there myself, their photos will let me ‘travel from home’.
Going way west of Africa to South America. Through my school of language adventures, I got to meet a lot of people from everywhere. I discovered that the South Americans are very cool people. They always seem happy despite what we hear about the goings on over there. I guess that must be a misconception that we have. See, only listening to news does not relate what a country really is about, it, however, does not always relate the real sad stories. Like the orphans left behind because of Christian prosecution. But that is not a story for now.
From South America, more specifically, Colombia, I once got some hot Chocolate, the kind where you dunk the solid in warm milk. That is, however, long gone. Had I saved it, it would have been green and not much of a happy souvenir. My friends got to see live toucans and were great enough to include me by sending pictures. Their visit to Colombia had me google-ing the county and I have found that we pronounce Bogota incorrectly. I have never set a foot on South American soil, but I have learned such a great deal about the continent through my old and new friends.
That was that for my souvenirs. I hope to get many more for my ‘travel from home’ collection and am thinking of a clever way to display them all. Until display day they, however, remain in my little treasure chest. 🙂
PS. After writing this post (which was written months ago for another blog) I did receive a magnificent new souvenir from New York. So the collection is definitely growing. Hope yours also does.
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