Sunday, 13 November, 2022 – I was thinking today about Elias having only ten days more in Thailand and if he will be sad or wistful about this trip coming to an end. I know he is looking forward to some of the comforts of home – and making his own, first home in Chicago. I know he is looking forward to a night of uninterrupted sleep, though maybe he has had good sleep on the beach. And I am pretty sure he is looking forward to the next steps, wherever they lead him.
I suddenly had the thought: what if we lived at home, like we were visiting where we live? I mean, is it possible to see home through the eyes of a visitor, and enjoy it in a different way? Elias has been to Chicago many times so it will feel familiar in some ways, but I can imagine that he will explore new neighborhoods, new restaurants, new parts of the city, with (some of) the same sense of adventure that he felt in Bangkok and Rome and Newquay. But I live in Kansas. Prairie Village, Kansas. Is it possible for me to channel being a newcomer and find new things to appreciate?
I was thinking about how Elias is traveling, that is, not going to lots of attractions, museums, monuments, or the places listed on TripAdvisor. He has seen a lot but I am not sure most of them would make the Top Ten Things to Do in Paris. If someone landed in California – which has a diversity and size not unlike Thailand – and you wanted to show them the essential spirit of California, to come away with an understanding of California culture and history, I was wondering what would be on the list? Would we recommend they visit Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge? Or maybe they should walk along the Santa Monica Pier and see the Redwoods outside Eureka? Do any one of those places capture all of what California is any better than another?
I don’t know what the answer is. Elias has traveled through Europe and Thailand to see cities, and eat a variety of foods, but more than anything, to experience the place. And he can only do that through his own unique perspective.
I have a feeling I am not making sense. I am still working on this, but it is not just blathering. I don’t think it is, anyway.
Here’s some more of the pictures from Bangkok that Elias uploaded. I love the closeup of the Thai words and the neon signs in the other picture which combine Chinese characters with Thai. I never learned one word of Thai so the Thai looks like crazy scribblings and the Chinese looks perfectly logical to me.
