Day 16: Just Trying to Understand
It's Monday and it
was spent doing the usual... Touring the city with a tour guide then scoping
out places to do research. Although this is the third city, this was different,
it was going to be challenging due to the language barrier. Usually our tour group sizes with this company
have always been small, no more than 10 people. For some strange reason the
tour group rose to 68 people. This made it difficult to hear, to travel to
different locations, and to really pay attention. All of us usually enjoy the
tours from this particular company but this time we didn't. When it was
finished we found ourselves at the Louvre Museum. One thing I did hear the tour
guide say that I thought was interesting was if someone spent 2 minutes in
front of each painting within the museum for 8 hours a day, it would take 5
months to see each one. This gives you an idea of just how massive this
building was.
Another thing about
this city is the pick pocketing. Right before we started our tour a woman
frantically entered our group announcing that her purse had just been taken
within 5 minutes of her entering the plaza. Within it was her keys, wallet, and
passport. Now I don't know if she was wearing the purse and set it down or if
someone snatched it from her, all that mattered to me was the fact that it
happened. It was then that I realized that I really had to be aware of my
surroundings at all times. Like Dr. V has stated many times, you see scammers
constantly. Some are just laid out on the street crying for change, some with
animals who look malnourished, some with animals who have puppies, some with
children who are dirty and crying. You see those with clip charts pretending to
do research. These people want you to listen to their cause and sign documents
just to distract you long enough for someone else to steal a wallet or
something else. Long story short, you have to be mindful at all times. The
advice given to us was to keep walking, never speak to them or allow them to
stop you.
Language is another
big issue but, I believe it's getting better. Google Translate has become
everybody's BEST FRIEND. It allows you to communicate back in forth but, it
also allows you to hold up your camera to just about any signage and get it
translated into English right before your very eyes. When I first saw this I
was amazed. I didn't know this technology existed. It definitely helped ease
some of the anxiety I was having about the language barrier. We translated
menus, directions, signs, instructions, you name it. Locals were looking us
crazy but we soon got over it. It felt good to understand in a foreign
environment. One thing we all agreed upon is that this trip and this city has
caused us to think differently about immigration and foreigners. We now know
what it's like for them to not understand, not have legal rights, to be
confused, to limited in their ability to communicate.
It's Monday and it
was spent doing the usual... Touring the city with a tour guide then scoping
out places to do research. Although this is the third city, this was different,
it was going to be challenging due to the language barrier. Usually our tour group sizes with this company
have always been small, no more than 10 people. For some strange reason the
tour group rose to 68 people. This made it difficult to hear, to travel to
different locations, and to really pay attention. All of us usually enjoy the
tours from this particular company but this time we didn't. When it was
finished we found ourselves at the Louvre Museum. One thing I did hear the tour
guide say that I thought was interesting was if someone spent 2 minutes in
front of each painting within the museum for 8 hours a day, it would take 5
months to see each one. This gives you an idea of just how massive this
building was.
Another thing about
this city is the pick pocketing. Right before we started our tour a woman
frantically entered our group announcing that her purse had just been taken
within 5 minutes of her entering the plaza. Within it was her keys, wallet, and
passport. Now I don't know if she was wearing the purse and set it down or if
someone snatched it from her, all that mattered to me was the fact that it
happened. It was then that I realized that I really had to be aware of my
surroundings at all times. Like Dr. V has stated many times, you see scammers
constantly. Some are just laid out on the street crying for change, some with
animals who look malnourished, some with animals who have puppies, some with
children who are dirty and crying. You see those with clip charts pretending to
do research. These people want you to listen to their cause and sign documents
just to distract you long enough for someone else to steal a wallet or
something else. Long story short, you have to be mindful at all times. The
advice given to us was to keep walking, never speak to them or allow them to
stop you.
Language is another
big issue but, I believe it's getting better. Google Translate has become
everybody's BEST FRIEND. It allows you to communicate back in forth but, it
also allows you to hold up your camera to just about any signage and get it
translated into English right before your very eyes. When I first saw this I
was amazed. I didn't know this technology existed. It definitely helped ease
some of the anxiety I was having about the language barrier. We translated
menus, directions, signs, instructions, you name it. Locals were looking us
crazy but we soon got over it. It felt good to understand in a foreign
environment. One thing we all agreed upon is that this trip and this city has
caused us to think differently about immigration and foreigners. We now know
what it's like for them to not understand, not have legal rights, to be
confused, to limited in their ability to communicate. 