The first few stops – all in Europe – had a sense of comfortability. It was ‘easy’ – English was spoken virtually everywhere by almost everyone, the amenities were similar to what we experience at home, and the sights were to be expected (e.g., a medieval church on every tour). Students, staff, and faculty alike, it seemed, took advantage of the comfortable. Although I believe many of us approached it in this way, I’ll utilize the ‘I’ language and situate this blog post from my experience.
I approached my first few ports-of-call as a tourist. I saw the sights, participated in the tours, engaged in the typical things (e.g., Guinness in Ireland, fish and chips in England, frites in Belgium, etc.). However, that approach was leaving me less-than-fulfilled. After several stops, I decided to make a change. Instead of approaching my voyage as a ‘tourist’, I would approach it as a ‘guest’. Here are just a few descriptors of how I differentiate a tourist from a guest:
A tourist focuses on the sights.
A guest focuses on the connections – to the places and people.
A tourist focuses on dropping in and just as quickly getting out.
A guest focuses on immersion – diving into the community and experience.
A tourist is guided by an attitude of otherness – seeing the other as separate.
A guest is guided by an attitude of openness – an invitation to engage in an ever-unfolding experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment