Category Archives:Curiosities

“Boy, those French. They have a different word for everything.” – Steve Martin

Living in a place where they don’t speak your native language is a real adventure, and if you approach it with more curiosity than anxiety, it can be a bit of fun. One source of both challenge and fun for me is words that have different meanings in different languages. Not just the simple-minded ones like “hat” (German ‘it has’ – don’t put it on your head) or “est” (not a time zone), albeit those bring a smile from time to time. Today I happened on a sign with the pithy message “Gut!”, which auto-activates my neural pathway for thinking about my internal organs (as in “a punch in the . . .”), but of course the Viennese sign maker was just saying “Good!”

Aktion - By Gary Duane Cox

No, what provides more fascination are words for things, nouns in everyday use, which have come to mean different things in different places, usually related things, with traceable kinship. Not surprising – objects in common use get tossed about and used however the user needs them. A hard flat metal disc (coin) can open a tin, turn a screw, get flipped for decision making, or serve as a value-unit in an economic transaction. A flat-bottomed, open topped container may hold a flower, a tasty intoxicant, or a message from someone stranded on a desert island.  Words are objects too, and they get jerked around.

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What would be more romantic than dancing a waltz in Vienna for Valentine’s Day?

St Valentine’s Day is waiting just around the corner impatient to revive February’s frozen gloomy days and I am sitting in my kitchen fancying the perfect romantic break.  Digging into my memories, there are not many things that reflect true romance more than waltzing in Vienna.

This memory of Vienna is elegant like an ancient ball room, and I can almost tastes the fresh baked appfelstrudel.  These may seem like stereotypes, but they’re just too true.  All these qualities make the city a perfect destination for St. Valentine’s Day, or any other cold winter evening when luxurious fabrics, gold, and gowns feel appropriate.

Photo by moritz.schmaltz on flickr

The Viennese Waltz

The Viennese waltz is not just a style in a dance competition or the forgotten memory of an epoch; it’s a real gem still alive in the Viennese culture.  Below I discuss where and when to go to a ball, what to wear (and how to find it for cheap), and where to take a waltzing lesson!

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When most people think of American wines, their thoughts gravitate toward California–specifically Napa and Sonoma. Nothing wrong with that; California turns out an excellent product. On the opposite coast, however, is Virginia. While not as prolific as California, Virginia’s wineries turn out several complex and tasty varieties amid scenic surroundings that are just as lovely as anything found in California. Try these three the next time you find yourself in the mid-Atlantic.

Vineyard, photo by deannanmc

Set on a 475 acre farm by Shadow Lake, Tarara Winery has a sunny patio for socializing and a delightfully extensive tasting menu. Tastings are $10 per person but well worth the money; the wines themselves are very affordable and your biggest problem will be choosing which one you want to enjoy outside and which ones you want to take home. If you like white wines, you’ll want to try their Charval. It’s a blend of chardonnay, pinot gris, vigonier, and sauvignon blanc that is crisp and sunny. The chardonnay itself comes from five different regions of the farm which lends a lot of complexity and interest to the flavor. Personally, I’m happy with anything Tarara sells as long as I can pair it with some of the local cheeses, charcuterie, and chocolates on sale just next to the tasting floor.

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The idea of being a hometown tourist is something I’ve touched on in earlier entries. People who have the wanderlust but not the means to go on a ’round-the-world trip sometimes fall into this trap: if you can’t go far away from home, you haven’t really traveled. This is entirely untrue! If you have children, have National Park sites nearby, or if you simply want to get to know your area better, playing hometown tourist is a fun way to see the world without spending a fortune.

Hawaiian shave ice, fifteen minutes from home. Photo by deannanmc

The first place to check is your local tourism board. Depending on the population of your geographic area, the range covered by these boards may be by city, county, or state. This will generally cover your major landmarks, popular museums, and most famous attractions and often they’ll be able to tell you if there are any special deals or coupons available for entry. Your local chamber of commerce will have similar information for member businesses and will have event information for local happenings. Of course, if you need other options, the Tripwolf website allows you to search for worthy destinations by region.

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Like most ardent travelers, I have a bucket list. It includes everything from very specific activities (kiss an exotic man at the top of the Eiffel Tower? Check!) to really overarching travel experiences (Visit South America. No check yet.). One of the items that’s been on my list for years was to visit Stonehenge, that strange stone circle that nobody can quite figure out what it is or where it came from.

Photo: Megan Eaves

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Colin is a past tripwolf blogger who is now fulfilling his dream of traveling and filming documentaries about world music. Two years ago, he completed a documentary on Caribbean music entitled, “Destination, Music.”  Now, he is just back from Andalusia, Spain, and editing his newest film about the art of Flamenco.

Interview with Sr. Merengue - Photo by Masha D'yans

Colin on this new project: “I can’t say exactly what made me undertake this project, other than a  fascination with Flamenco, and a sense that the more I learned about it, the  less I understood. Once I made the decision to go ahead, my goal was  straightforward and simple: to create something that was beautiful to look at,  but that also conveyed the passions, personalities and notions of  those who dedicate themselves to the art of Flamenco.  The film is currently in post-production, and is scheduled for released in the late Spring/early Summer of 2012.”

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Here is the final installment of our piece celebrating all of the PCV’s who have volunteered over the past 50 years.  My goal was to provide any potential volunteers (even those who didn’t think they were potential volunteers) with important information they might not find elsewhere.  Thanks to PCV’s Brian, Burch, Elizabeth, Vincent, Dustin and Josh for volunteering again to answer my questions.

Photo by ozziebackpacker

In this post, the questions pertain to reintegration – describing the most influential moments of their trips, how they changed, and how each one of them understood reverse culture shock upon returning home…and more of course!

Read part one here on how to join the Peace Corps, and part two for more information on what it’s really like to be a Peace Corps Volunteer!

How did you pay for day to day expenses, like food? Were you given a stipend?

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I was never a particularly Christmasy person. Sure, when I was a kid, we loved Christmas. Who wouldn’t love getting a bunch of presents? But as the years have gone by, I somehow became a bit of a grinch. It wasn’t until I found myself alone in a tiny town in eastern China for Christmas one year that I began to understand what the Christmas spirit is all about. It wasn’t until I was deprived of all that force-fed Christmas cheer that I began to miss it. So, I downloaded a few Christmas songs (only the classics, yo!) and made one of my ESL classes host a Christmas English corner party, complete with fake tree, homemade ornaments and Santa hats. I frequented the local KFC, which was the only joint in town that had up any sort of Christmas decor. It worked. Suddenly, I had Christmas in my life again.

Christmas with my Chinese students. Photo: Megan Eaves

By now, I’ve spent Christmas in some far flung corners of the world, often with only Skype to connect with family and friends back home. I have had my share of homesick holidays and it has all led me to the discovery of my roots. You see, I come from a magical land called New Mexico. If you’ve never been there, you might think of cowboys and indians and tequila, and while all of those things are associated with my home state, what really makes it stand out is Christmas. Read More »

I live in a small town in Italy that’s older than Rome; has a Roman temple up high on a hill; has an ochre-tinted ancient quarter; has a mythological sea hugging its coast line. Yet, whenever I meet anyone new and they ask me where I’m from, I get: But why would you leave a place like New York City to come to this hell hole?

And I tell them what I’ve been saying ever since I left: I love New York City but right now, I love being in other places more. Right now, my heart wants to haggle over the price of pancetta at the weekly street market, stroll through the piazza, get duck eggs from my friend’s farm, and collect sea glass along the Tyrrhenian Sea. Every day, I fall more and more in love with the weird little Italian town I live in and feel my roots sinking in deep. But sometimes, when I’m back home – for a wedding, for the holidays – I look around and think: Dang, I ♥ being in NY. Here are ten reasons why….

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