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On
Sale Now:
"Getting
Lost: Mishaps of an Accidental Nomad"
Winner
of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop Book Proposal Contest
"When you travel, things go wrong." That
might not sound like uplifting advice, but in this hilarious collection
of stories about mishaps in faraway places, Dave Fox proves otherwise.
Find Out More
"Dave
Fox's writing is hilarious. It's rare to find a person who has
such unique stories to tell and can write about them to boot."
--
Tim Bete, Director of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop
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Foreign at Home
You don't have to travel far from home to find yourself in a foreign
environment. We each have a set of subcultures in which we live. But the
area where we live is also full of other subcultures to which we don't
belong and can't fully relate.
I'm American. I've lived in Maryland, Wisconsin, Washington State, England,
Norway, and Turkey. Each of these places defines part of who I am. My
native language is English. I speak Norwegian and French. I was raised
by a Lutheran mother and a Jewish father who took me to a Unitarian church
on Sundays. Now I follow a Chinese philosophy called Taoism. I have worked
with deaf people. I have an amateur radio license. I am a writer. I like
Mediterranean food and Belgian beer. I live in a condominium. I am a tour
guide. I am short. I went to high school in the 1980s.
Each one of these things defines one of my sub-cultures.
Hundreds of different factors define your own personal subcultures:
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Where you live
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Places you have lived in the past
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Language
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Race
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Religion
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Gender
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Sexual orientation
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Education
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Career
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Body size
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Family size
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Marital status
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Whether or not you have children
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Age
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Income level
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Political views or affiliations
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Medical history
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These are just a few of them.
What are your subcultures? Make a list.
When you're finished with that list, make a second list. Write down some
of the subcultures in your hometown that you don't belong to — places
where you would feel out of place.
Next, choose a place in your hometown where you are foreign, and go there.
Spots to consider include:
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A place of worship
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An ethnic neighborhood, club, or restaurant
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A place frequented by people outside of your age group such as
a nursing home or popular high school hangout
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A club that discusses something you know nothing about
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A bar frequented by types of people you don't normally associate
with
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A concert with music you don't normally listen to. (Crowds vary
tremendously at symphonies, punk shows, country-western concerts,
and Zydeco dances.)
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A meeting for a political group you don't affiliate with
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There are hundreds of other possibilities. Get creative.
If you are worried about feeling awkward or out of place at the spot
you have chosen, you've made a good choice. The idea in this exercise
is to step out of your comfort zone and get as foreign as possible. It's
natural to feel worried that you will stand out. Take a deep breath and
go anyway.
While you're there, you can go under cover and try to fit in, or you
can tell people why you're there and chat with them about their culture.
It's up to you.
When you get home, journal about your experience. How did people react
to you? How did you feel? What did you learn about this culture? What
did you discover about yourself?
This is a scary exercise, but with the right attitude, it can be great
fun. Be brave. Don't fight the awkward feelings that might come. Let yourself
feel them.
And when you're finished, reward yourself for your bravery!
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| Travel
Journaling Cruise |
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 Become
an expert journaler as you cross the Atlantic Ocean! Travel with
Dave Fox as he teaches a unique series of writing classes in the
spring of 2009 aboard Oceania Cruiseline's Insignia.
Visit Brazil, Cape Verde, Morocco, and Spain, with journaling lessons
en route. Writers of all skill levels welcome!
Prices start at less than $3,000 per person — including
airfare! Splurgier options are also available. Space is limited,
however, and filling fast.
More Details...
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| New
Book Coming Soon!
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Dave's new book, Globejotting:
How to Write Extraordinary Travel Journals (and Still Have Time
to Enjoy Your Trip) is at the printer and on its way to
bookstores soon!
Read Chapter One online for free, and pre-order your autographed
copy at a special discount!
Find Out More
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