It was my first time there.Europe : the land of history and class or so everyone said...I was going there to photograph my dear friend My-Van's wedding. She's an American who I met while teaching in South Korea. We met in the immigration office just a few days after I arrived in Korea. The first time we met we looked each other over scrupulously and decided that the other was worth chatting up to make the day less painful.. Low and behold we ended up talking for the 2 hours as we waited to get our foreigner ID card. (Because I, of course, look so Asian that I need a card to prove my foreign status. That is sarcasm for all of those who don't know that I have a very Caucasian face. That makes me fit into Asia as much as a polar bear in blends into the Caribbean).Despite my un-Asian features, MyVan overlooked my flaws, and we became instant friends. Fast forward about 2 years later, and I am on a plane flying to France to photograph her lovely Southern French wedding and spend a lovely week with the newly weds and their closest friends.After living and traveling for almost 3 years in Asia (mostly in South Korea and parts of Thailand), this was my first taste of Europe. It was incredible and so unique from traveling Asia. Let me explain.Thailand is a beautifully, tropical inexpensive life. There I lived in Mae Hong Son, a mountainous region in N.W. Thailand with S'gaw Karen (an ethnic people from Myanmar living in Thailand). Their culture left an impression on me. They are so real, genuine, generous. They are willing to share and give everything they have to their friends and family even when they don't have much of anything. Their lives are centered in community, in sharing.While I was there, I was almost never left alone, people surrounded me constantly, always by my side, looking over my shoulder as I typed emails to friends or read books. This was not rude, but normal. We were a community without secrets or personal space, but I must admit this was an adjustment coming from my individualistic 'I love personal space/time' culture of the West., ha!
above: Saturday afternoon weaving with my Beautiful friends.
Here I slept on bamboo mats in a room full of students and friends, I learned that good relationships go before to-do list, I went forging for food in the forest, ate with my hands, I learned to never walk alone - not because it was dangerous but because it was lonely, my classes were canceled classes so that we could go the hospital with my sick students, and we shared everything, everything - down the one bowl of soup and one spoon for the whole dinner table - (which sometimes resulted in a community with the common cold or worse- ha!) - but the value of having a whole community taking care of me certainly made a few days of the sniffles worth it.
above: my bedroom
above: Crossing the Homemade Bridge - "The most terrifying 10 minutes of my life - swing, swing, creek, crack. "
After Thailand, I packed my bags to see what Europe offered... One thing I appreciated immediately? The bridges there have a little more steel and little less DIY quality. :)
above: Gourds, France
I can't say that I've experienced too much of Europe. I know Asia better. but because I have have European blood.. - i'm a bit of a mutt, I have about 7 or 8 European countries running in this blood-- please don't judge, you know mutts have strong genes :D or at least that is what my parents told me to boost my self-esteem - .- So perhaps this blood makes me more of an expert on Europe than I think? I do know that I share a common pointy nose and eating utensils with the Europeans., - yes this definitely make me an expert. ;)I stayed in Europe for about a month - one week in France and 3-4 in Spain.. I traveled Europe a bit unconventionally - meaning I didn't really go anywhere, because I found the best place in Europe, didn't feel the need to move... By divinity, I ended up staying in the seaside town of Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain, - an hour from Barcelona - where a Catalonian family took me under their wing, gave me a bed and the most delicious cheese, Spanish ham, wine, and Spanish experiences a girl could dream of. So I willingly parked myself there for 3 full weeks.I did however venture outside of the nest to take one trip to Barcelona to visit the Perfume Museum - A museum full of old perfume bottles dating back to ancient Greece, and they even displayed one of Marie Antoinette's bottles... after this then I went to the MIBA:Ideas museum. - full fascinating modern day inventions. I almost made it to the Chocolate Museum too, but time wouldn't allow for this. - Next time, perhaps.. :)Other then these 3 days in Barcelona, I stayed in Sant Feliu sailing, swimming in the Mediterranean sea, learning to steer a boat, practicing my Spanish and drinking my weight in Spanish olive oil. yum :)My main impression of Europe? One word. Refined. The first night in Sant Feliu, Spain, I learned how to peel a plum with a knife and fork. Really, is that level of refinement really necessary in the human race; Do Europeans just do this to show off their mad skills? Or do you peel a plum with a knife and fork every night at dinner too?
above: European Forks and and Knives....
Europe vs Asia? Where should you go with your hard-earned travel cash and passport? It just depends on which lesson you seek to learn first, Dear Grasshopper.... Do you wish to master the art of peeling a plum with a knife and fork without breaking a sweat, or sharing your precious imported chocolate bar with 5 of your best friends? The choice is all yours. Choose wisely :)A few helpful European Links :)A lovely Hostel/Pension in Sant Feliu, Spain Hostel NorayTravel by Air: http://www.ryanair.com/enTravel by Train: http://www.raileurope.com/european-trains/tgv/index.html
