All my life one of my biggest fears has been looking like a tourist. In Manhattan I refused to carry around a backpack; I wouldn’t even let myself wear flip-flops on the beach. For years I did not want any stranger thinking I was in a new place for the first time not knowing exactly what I’m doing.
But, in the past two months I have had to come to terms with the fact that I a indeed on a foreign continent, and 70% of the time (maybe a little more) I have no clue what I am doing. And no matter how discreetly you can look at your map or say a couple of phrases in the local language, everyone is still going to know that you are indeed, like most others around you, a tourist.
So my advice is basically to just embrace it—asking someone for directions is better than spending an hour lost, taking a picture is better than just walking by a beautiful view.
And not to mention it is fun! It is fun to take goofy pictures; it is fun to wave at people on the boats passing by. I like carrying around a book about the place I’m going to because then I actually know what I’m looking at, and I have my camera on my wrist at all times ready for anything.
Even around Prague I felt too jaded to do the touristy things, but then my friend came to visit and I had so much fun reading all the sayings on the John Lennon wall and paddelboating and it made me wonder why I don’t do this all the time.
In short, I realized I’m not as cool as I think I am. The second I open my mouth; I know I am not passing for a local anywhere. So embrace how clueless you are, embrace how excited you are to see sights locals see everyday, and you will have fun.
Anne, English major and Journalism and Environmental Studies minor, is enthused to spend a semester immersed in a different culture. She cannot wait to meet new people, visit new places, and share these experiences with others.
Bringing Out Your Inner Tourist
All my life one of my biggest fears has been looking like a tourist. In Manhattan I refused to carry around a backpack; I wouldn’t even let myself wear flip-flops on the beach. For years I did not want any stranger thinking I was in a new place for the first time not knowing exactly what I’m doing.
But, in the past two months I have had to come to terms with the fact that I a indeed on a foreign continent, and 70% of the time (maybe a little more) I have no clue what I am doing. And no matter how discreetly you can look at your map or say a couple of phrases in the local language, everyone is still going to know that you are indeed, like most others around you, a tourist.
So my advice is basically to just embrace it—asking someone for directions is better than spending an hour lost, taking a picture is better than just walking by a beautiful view.
And not to mention it is fun! It is fun to take goofy pictures; it is fun to wave at people on the boats passing by. I like carrying around a book about the place I’m going to because then I actually know what I’m looking at, and I have my camera on my wrist at all times ready for anything.
Even around Prague I felt too jaded to do the touristy things, but then my friend came to visit and I had so much fun reading all the sayings on the John Lennon wall and paddelboating and it made me wonder why I don’t do this all the time.
In short, I realized I’m not as cool as I think I am. The second I open my mouth; I know I am not passing for a local anywhere. So embrace how clueless you are, embrace how excited you are to see sights locals see everyday, and you will have fun.
Anne Flamio
Anne, English major and Journalism and Environmental Studies minor, is enthused to spend a semester immersed in a different culture. She cannot wait to meet new people, visit new places, and share these experiences with others.
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