It never ceases to amaze me. Just when I pat myself on the back for being such a world traveler desperate or otherwise, I pop out of an airport into a country that is brand new to me.
That certainly happened to me earlier this week at the start of our 2.5 week working vacation in Brazil. South America is not entirely a new continent for me. I have been lucky enough to visit Chile not once, but twice (the pisco sours drew me back!)
But after a marathon of flying (Vancouver-Toronto-Sao Paulo-Curitiba) I sat back and watched an affluent Brazilian city of almost 2 million people which is far off any tourist's map (but has a Maple Bear School!) float by me while riding in a taxi to our hotel.
'Where are we again?' I asked Rodney.
Silently, I castigated myself for smugly thinking how much of the world I have seen, only to realize my engagement with the gazillions of culture on this planet is actually quite limited!
I am not being disingenuous. Rather, I'm confessing to being humbled.
Coming from North America, the only time we hear or read about Brazil is when the World Cup Soccer tournament is being battled. That's as limiting as a world view of Canada that only includes hockey.
Anyone who has caught the travel bug will understand my sentiments. The more we see, the more we realize there is to see.
And to learn.
That certainly happened to me earlier this week at the start of our 2.5 week working vacation in Brazil. South America is not entirely a new continent for me. I have been lucky enough to visit Chile not once, but twice (the pisco sours drew me back!)
But after a marathon of flying (Vancouver-Toronto-Sao Paulo-Curitiba) I sat back and watched an affluent Brazilian city of almost 2 million people which is far off any tourist's map (but has a Maple Bear School!) float by me while riding in a taxi to our hotel.
'Where are we again?' I asked Rodney.
Silently, I castigated myself for smugly thinking how much of the world I have seen, only to realize my engagement with the gazillions of culture on this planet is actually quite limited!
I am not being disingenuous. Rather, I'm confessing to being humbled.
Coming from North America, the only time we hear or read about Brazil is when the World Cup Soccer tournament is being battled. That's as limiting as a world view of Canada that only includes hockey.
Anyone who has caught the travel bug will understand my sentiments. The more we see, the more we realize there is to see.
And to learn.
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