Many people around the world have travelled either within their country or travelled overseas, but there are some who never, ever leave home! I actually feel sorry for these people because they never get to experience life outside of their cocoon.
Whether you travel to the next state or somewhere not far from home, you always find out information about that place which will be different to where you live. We get to see how others live their lives and maybe we can learn something from our experience.
Travelling overseas to a different country and culture will really broaden your horizons. I’ll never forget my first trip overseas and it was to live in Singapore for a year! What a shock to the system! The first thing to hit me was the heat and the smells of food at the airport. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before and it still has the same effect on me whenever I go back there.
The city was so vibrant and alive and the one thing that stood out from the moment I landed was that people would go out to eat all throughout the night! Coming from a Western culture, this was completely foreign to me. When we ate out at home it was a special treat, whereas I learned that the best places to eat were out on the streets at hawker stalls. The food was not only fresh but cheap too!
Singapore is a land of many cultures and they all mix beautifully. The three main cultures are Chinese, Malay and Indian and each has its own culture and tradition which is readily on show in all parts of the city.
Walk into Chinatown and you are struck by the pungent smell of Durian (a fruit) when it is in season, or the herbs being sold from the Chinese Herbal shops, or the smell of chicken satays or chilli crab being cooked in one of the hundreds of hawker stalls.
The Malay part of town is where you’ll find the spicy smell of curry powder wafting into the air and the sound of the “call to prayer” which happens five times a day in some really beautiful mosques.
“Little India” is a well known area in Singapore and the first thing that hits you is the colour! It’s not only the vibrant colour of the sari’s being worn by the Indian women, it’s also the lavish displays of flower garlands which adorn most of the shops. The smell of many different spices greet you as you walk around the streets of Little India and it has a very impressive Hindu temple situated right in the heart of this area.
Whether you’re travelling to a new destination for a holiday or going to live, the best way to meet people and find out about their country is to go out and explore, ask questions and immerse yourself into every aspect of theirs lives, including customs and traditions. Being in their country you must learn to respect their way of life and not inflict them with views about how you think they should live. Showing mutual respect will ensure that your time there will be not only wonderful but educational too.
