A Peace of my Mind

A post is a post is a post because really, each time I post it’s to give you a piece of my mind (in a good way. Why has that evolved to bring forth a picture of a crabby old lady in an apron shaking her finger? Bref.) This is just a little food for thought and an important realization, one that has defined my exchange and may shed light onto why exchange students have such a hard time returning and explaining their experiences abroad.

                  “The more I travel and learn about other cultures the more I realize that if I try to compare everything that is “new” to things that I’m familiar with, I will never have a globalized view. Therefore, I will just accept things as they are.”

                                   

                  -Maggie’s journal (special best-friend-blogger-to-reader moment)

                  That was Maggie writing while she was half asleep and kind of distracted, but in essence, there are some things that just can’t be explained and that’s OKAY. I am finding so many things that are similar to the food, customs, sayings, etc. back in the USA but they aren’t the same. There have been many times where I’ve failed to be able to explain our culture to friends here and I have had to stop myself because no amount of fancy vocabulary could ever be enough to give a sufficient description of a tator tot (even spell check doesn’t know what it is). For real. Another example is how we stand up eating breakfast or eat in the car. These things are easily explained but not easily comprehended.

                  I believe this to be the point of Rotary: to discover that this new and different culture I am experiencing is like looking into a mirror, the Mirror of Acceptance, if you will. It goes both ways; they think our customs are new and different just as much. When everyone accepts each culture as they are, war and prejudice would be eliminated.

                  Walty coming at ya:

“You are also asking me questions and I hear you,

I answer that I cannot answer you must find out for yourself.”

                 

-        Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

And just because it’s so beautiful and I believe it goes along with what I’m trying to say, I’ll give you another:

“Agonies are one of my changes of garments,

I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself become

            The wounded person,

My hurts turn livid upon me as I lean on a cane and observe.”

-        Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Feel free to ponder, digest, and then shoot me an email, message, or thought via brain connection (Kiana J).

Bisous,

Maggie