How do you really get to know a country?
How do you really get to know a country?
How do you really get to know a country? The answer is of course largely subjective, but there are certain factors that always help or hinder
While Kia and I go into the last weeks of our big trip, we naturally ask ourselves how well we met the traveled countries. Last year or so we spent just a few hours in a country up to over two months and everything in between.
So how do you really get to know a country? The answer is of course largely subjective and is based more on a personal opinion than on a delimited system. However, there are certain factors that always help or hinder.
size
The size of a country naturally influences how you travel. We spent almost four weeks in Samoa, the country that we think we got to know the most. Usually I would say that four weeks would never be long enough, but Samoa consists of two large islands and a handful of smaller ones.
alt = "Interesting facts about Samoa lead picture"> Atlas & Boots Inselleben in Samoa
We thoroughly explored them on foot, by car, by bus, by boat and even under the surface. We reached the highest, the lowest and extreme eastern and western point. I am confident that I could draw a pretty precise map from Samoa. The more you see from a country, the more you get to know it.
people
"If you travel, remember that a foreign country is not there to make it comfortable. It should make it comfortable for your own people," said the American author Clifton Fadiman.
"If you travel, remember that a foreign country is not there to make it comfortable. It is designed to make it comfortable to your own people."
clifton fadiman
The people of a country determine its character and soul above all. If you really want to get to know a country, you have to get to know your people - often easier said than done. In Samoa we stayed with local families in their beach fale, where we interacted with them every day.
We ate with our hosts, went to church with them, met their family and even drove their children to school one day. This level of interaction is not always available, but websites such as Helpx, Homestay and Airbnb certainly offer a better opportunity than Expedia and none.
budget
When we arrived in Argentina, we were shocked how expensive it was and decided to travel through the country as soon as possible. We have created a list of the places that we absolutely wanted to see and made it to see them.
We saw how auto -sauce chunks of ice detached from a glacier, rugged Andean peaks from Patagonia, the end of the world (El Fin del Mundo) in Tierra del Fuego and the Paris of America in Buenos Aires.
But unfortunately our budget was not enough for a tango show or a drink with the locals. In this special case, a larger budget would have contributed to deepening the travel experience. In other cases, a small budget can cause the opposite and force you to travel slowly and see more.
sights
Regardless of whether you define sights based on sights, cities and municipalities or landscapes that you have visited, their sight can easily become an exercise where you have to meet all criteria. Sometimes in South America, when our budget and our time shrank quickly, we were certainly to blame.
alt = “one-country television cinnamon learning”> Christ the Redeemer didn't tell us much about modern Brazil and its people
The Iguassu cases, Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loan were the highlights of our visit in Brazil, but they didn't tell us much about modern Brazil and its people. Take your time to see more remote sights will help convey an understanding that is otherwise difficult to obtain.
first impressions
The first impression counts. I think countries can be very similar in this way. Sometimes you know as soon as you meet someone that he will be a great friend and you will understand yourself like a burning house.
Another time you meet someone and know that you will have forgotten his name tomorrow. Our first impression of Colombia was one of loud street work and street crime. Conversely, our first impression of Samoa was azure water and golden sand.
Your impressions can change the longer you stay in a country, but just like in humans, it is probably easier to get to know someone you like from the start.
time
logical, the longer you spend in a place, the more you get to know it. Two months in Tahiti have taught us a lot about local culture, people and history. We were able to meet more people, ask more questions, see more of the country and speak more in the national language.
We stayed with several hosts (one for over a month), which showed us the best places, the best prospects, the best food, the best swimming and more. We met locals, expats and other travelers alike.
One of my favorite experiences was to be stranded (in short) with our Tahitian neighbor Michel during an afternoon snorkeling trip, an experience that only came about because we had time to make friendships and tie bonds.
the expat life
In reality, you only really get to know a country by living there. Life and work in a country gives you insights that you simply cannot win during a visit. No matter what your yardstick is, it will take time - more than what you can put on a world tour or a longer vacation.
alt = “kia in Mauritius”> Atlas & Boots We spent a month on Mauritius
Valentine, a British expat in Brazil, told us: "I've been here for almost five years now and only in the past year and a half I really feel like 'at home'."
After our trip we plan to move to France, so I will let you know in the summer of 2020 what I think!
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