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at_anchor

Why travel to a foreign country?

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We all want to travel to China for example where 99% of people don't speak English. But if we're not gonna learn Chinese, why would we travel there? Is not wanting to learn a language of a certain country enough to decide to not go there at all? 

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9 minutes ago, at_anchor said:

 Is not wanting to learn a language of a certain country enough to decide to not go there at all? 

No, not at all.  I dunno why that would be the case.  There's soooooo much you can enjoy and learn about by travelling to other countries besides the language.  For me, language is not even close to the main reasons for travel.  I might pick up a few words here and there to get me by, but really, I don't care about languages.  I more care about the landscapes, differences in culture, and just enjoying all the multitude of things that the place has to offer.  Food is another great one.  Adventure.  

9 minutes ago, at_anchor said:

We all want to travel to China for example where 99% of people don't speak English. But if we're not gonna learn Chinese, why would we travel there?

I wouldn't say we "all" want to go there... But I would certainly like to.  Just for the sheer sake of experiencing a radically different culture, place, and people.  I'm sure by going there my mind and cultural understanding would expand a ton, including knowledge of my own culture since it's hard to really see what you're own culture is like if you haven't been anywhere else (fish in water syndrome).   It can also really help you appreciate where you originally come from.

Edited by Matt23

"Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"   --   Marry Poppins

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3 minutes ago, Matt23 said:

differences in culture, and just enjoying all the multitude of things that the place has to offer.  Food is another great one.  Adventure.  

Culture is closely interwined with language and if you can't communicate with people there, then what's the point? Except if you don't get a personal translator... not a translating app!

7 minutes ago, Matt23 said:

But I would certainly like to.  Just for the sheer sake of experiencing a radically different culture, place, and people.  I'm sure by going there my mind and cultural understanding would expand a ton, including knowledge of my own culture since it's hard to really see what you're own culture is like if you haven't been anywhere else (fish in water syndrome).   It can also really help you appreciate where you originally come from.

Good analogy.

Anyway,I don't want to go anywhere either. If you asked me, I'd stay in my birth city forever if things were better for me. But China and most other places in the world I would gladly travel to if I had more money. 

Again, the priblem is: why travel there just to see a culture? Ou can do that online, type in "Tour of Beijing" or something like that and there you go... You can also google puctures and stuff. The only problem is not being able to experience the landscape...

But travel for food? I'd rather stick to their grocery stores than restaurants.

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39 minutes ago, at_anchor said:

Culture is closely interwined with language and if you can't communicate with people there, then what's the point?

It sounds like you have these ideas in your head that are stopping you from experiencing the actual thing. 

Sure, culture is intertwined with language.  But culture is so much more than language.  Food, architecture, infrastructure, arts, the way people interact (80% of communication is non-verbal), landscapes, seeing differences in how people live (housing, how they eat food, when they eat food, how they shit, what products are and aren't available, the quality of products, etc.) ... I mean, I could go on.  I guess a big thing is you get to see differences in qualities of things as well.  

It's a whole learning experience.  Even learning how to navigate airports and stuff, if you haven't traveled, can be a great learning experience.  Again; gets you out of your comfort zone.

Besides, english is such a popular language nowadays, it's easy to find countries that speak it.  Go to Thailand or Indonesia... you got McDonalds and 7-11s everywhere.  But it's also different enough that you get a totally different mind-changing experience.  Helps to open your mind.

45 minutes ago, at_anchor said:

Anyway,I don't want to go anywhere either. If you asked me, I'd stay in my birth city forever if things were better for me.

I mean... I can't argue with you if you don't want to.  That's totally fine.  But I would recommend travel.  Especially if you haven't done much; don't knock it till you try it enough.  You never know what you might find. 

45 minutes ago, at_anchor said:

But China and most other places in the world I would gladly travel to if I had more money. 

Just do it.  I recently bough a round-trip ticket to Thailand for like $900-$950.  Spent a couple weeks there.  It was great!  Even shorter trips can be fun and educational. 

47 minutes ago, at_anchor said:

the priblem is: why travel there just to see a culture? Ou can do that online, type in "Tour of Beijing" or something like that and there you go... You can also google puctures and stuff

Comparing a computer screen with the actual thing is like... just not enough.  You just gotta experience my man.  Like, seriously, especially if you haven't travelled.  There's suuuuch a huge difference between looking at picture and actually being somewhere.  I'm sure you're smart enough to see that.  Watching porn and actually having sex... or looking at photos of food and actually eating food... or watching a video of a rollercoaster and actually going on a rollercoaster... or w/e else.  It also forces you out of your comfort zone.  

49 minutes ago, at_anchor said:

travel for food? I'd rather stick to their grocery stores than restaurants.

I was just using food as an example.  Everyone will have their own particular things they enjoy about travel.  

Besides, even in grocery stores there can be enormous differences country-to-country.

 

Maybe start small; go to an environment you're not used to.  Maybe if you live in the city, go do an Air-BnB in the country somewhere or on a farm or something.  Spitballing ideas.  


"Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"   --   Marry Poppins

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22 hours ago, Matt23 said:

there can be enormous differences country-to-country.

Yeah, I've noticed different taste of oranges when I traveled to another country and also different tastes of chocolate, chicken breasts, potatoes, etc., yet I cooked it the same way...

22 hours ago, Matt23 said:

Maybe start small; go to an environment you're not used to.  Maybe if you live in the city, go do an Air-BnB in the country somewhere or on a farm or something. 

No way I'm traveling in my country like this. It is dangerous as hell for me at the moment and in my circumstances, so not a good idea at all. I seek to leave this corrupt shit hole as fast as possible, cause you can't survive here as a weak, poor, wounded person, etc. Not at all.

22 hours ago, Matt23 said:

It also forces you out of your comfort zone.  

Ahm, I need to get back into a comfort zone my man...

22 hours ago, Matt23 said:

I can't argue with you if you don't want to.  That's totally fine.  But I would recommend travel.  Especially if you haven't done much; don't knock it till you try it enough.  You never know what you might find. 

I wish I could travel but there is just no way. Travel is a luxury, actually. It's a big luxury that I'm never gonna be able to afford and embark on. Yeah, I have some money, but my birthplace has chained me so much that I can only travel to the top first world countries to become free. 

22 hours ago, Matt23 said:

It sounds like you have these ideas in your head that are stopping you from experiencing the actual thing. 

Nope, it has nothing to do with these ideas but with my society and certain people from it.

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Just sounds like you have some limiting beliefs about your circumstances...

Again, I don't know your circumstances,  Maybe staying put is the better thing for you atm. Obviously if it's dangerous physically, then don't travel to those places. 

I was just offering some motivation and reasons to try it out.  Again, if you want to stay put, that's your perogative.  

Edited by Matt23

"Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"   --   Marry Poppins

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I'm actually very grateful and enjoyed reading your posts, but my feelings at that particular moment were such that I felt fearful and so I contradicted you. But I haven't changed my opinions since. I'm gonna stay put, because that's my prerogative, and that feels like the right thing to do, even though that means losing a lot of opportunities for growth and happiness. 

I actually don't have a ppace to stay put and my circumstances are extremely unfair and limiting.

I don't know if it's dangerous physically. It is dangerous to my finances and what other people think of me. I can't travel even though I could, but for a very short period of time, like a month or so and then what? Come back to this shit hole with absolutely nothing in my pockets. That's very dangerous.

Edited by at_anchor

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@at_anchor

On 2023-01-30 at 4:36 PM, at_anchor said:

We all want to travel to China for example where 99% of people don't speak English. But if we're not gonna learn Chinese, why would we travel there? Is not wanting to learn a language of a certain country enough to decide to not go there at all? 

   Generally speaking, to travel is to enrich your life experiences, and become more cultural and aware of the bigger world out there. Travel to me is like making yourself a world citizen, and making yourself rich with worldly knowledge and world experiences. Newer interactions with different environments and cultures increases your creativity and insight making as well. Learning new experiences and even languages also can help a bit.

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To get new perspectives. The more diverse perspectives you cultivated the richer your understanding of reality will be. 

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To see, hear, smell, taste and feel what you never before had in the field of your experience. So basically to expand the spectrum of experiences in your mind and to see what the world and reality is beyond the everyday buffet of experience that you're used to. With the proper intention these experiences can aid in understanding the Earth, including its diversity of cultures and people better. Also it has the potential to deepen self-understanding.

I'm sure some really good VR tech could be used to achieve something similar but there your exposure would be limited to those environments that are available in the VR and to those people who have access to that technology. 

 

Also this came to mind:

Screenshot_20230222_195318_Goodreads.jpg

Edited by TheAlchemist

"Only that which can change can continue."

-James P. Carse

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