“I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain
Strangers. What a funny word. What a funny idea. People who know nothing about each other and yet doesn't it feel like we always find common things amidst 6 degrees of separation?
21 strangers. That's what we were just one week ago and yet shared experiences and commonalities have brought us together. We are family for these two weeks. Because we want to be? Maybe. But also because we have to be. We have no other choice, and that's ok. Because the best experiences we have are experiences we share. What is 3am nights in Berlin without others to yell and piss people off with on the train? Or what is a visit to a concentration camp without good listeners being there to talk about what you just witnessed? Or what's the point of a giant pretzel if you can't rip apart half and give it someone else? Unless you're hungry, then by all means eat the whole thing.
Do we all get along all the time? Of course not. You wouldn't either with 3 hours of sleep and ridiculous train systems to navigate. But that's ok!
Strangers are great, because if you take the time, strangers no longer have to be strangers. Ask a question, tell a story, listen...well and often. And you might just find, if you're lucky, that strangers become friends. And what do friends do? They share more experiences together.
So get out there. Explore the world. See the sights. Eat the food. But by all means - meet strangers and share. Share life. Share joys. Share hurt. Share laughs. Share a pretzel. Share a beer. Share 2 beers.
Go. Do it.
Go. Do it.
After all, the best life lived is the life lived together.
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| Augusta and I sitting on museum steps before the Munchen bike tour. |
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| Kristin, Betsy, Caroline, and Kelly before the Berlin bike tour. |
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| Wine by the river with my team, Funf Torte. |
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| The whole group before going out Thursday night in Berlin. |
21 University
of South Carolina, School of Journalism and Mass Communications students and two professors are spending two weeks in Munich and Berlin Germany, as part of a May class. The object is to learn about convergence journalism and develop multimedia stories and communication skills that extend beyond the classroom. During this three-week class students will interview, write, photograph and video Germans and discover how different media's role is in this country.
1 comment:
Sound like you are having a fabulous experience!!
Some of my favorite conversations with strangers happened at markets and festivals (European cities seems to have a festival of some kind every few weeks). You never know what kind of connections you will make with people :)
And on the subject of connections, the German verb for "to connect" is "verbinden". It can also mean "to bind" or "to bandage". I always think it's interesting too know the connotations that other languages can emphasize.
Can't wait to read more!!
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