For today I chose a quote by James A. Michener for Writer’s Quote event hosted by Silver Threading. This author is best known for historical fiction and even received a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948 for his first novel, Tales of the South Pacific. He wrote historical fiction sagas focusing on a particular geographic region, letting his readers experience the different countries through his books.
I love this quote – why do we travel, if not to experience something different? And if we move to another country, but close ourselves up in a little bubble of everything familiar, are we enriching our lives? Of course, you don’t have to like everything you see, hear or taste, but how would you know without even trying?
Most of the time I cook our traditional dishes at home, although a couple of new products became our new favourites during the years on the move. We still go to our usual Christian Orthodox church, but I would never be able to tell people with another religion that they are wrong – who am I to judge on such a question? We have friends of different nationalities and backgrounds – you can find best friends among others, the same way as you don’t have to like each and every person coming from your home country. Moving around can make you more openminded only if you let yourself open up to the experience.
tinyexpats.com 
I have this quote in mind whenever we travel. Thank you for sharing the background on the author.😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, great! Welcome :)
LikeLike
Well said!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love this quote! When I lived in the U.K. I could not believe all the military folks I served with were so unhappy because back then, England was not much like America. I plunged head in to learn the customs, the food, the drink :-D … it was fabulous to live abroad. Great quote! <3
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you stay away from anything local, you’re losing out on most of the fun, I think :) But, to be honest, it seems strange that UK would feel so foreign to Americans :)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am talking many years ago in the early 1980’s. It was quite different then. I remember being cold all the time. No central heat. One tiny fireplace in the main sitting room of the house. We had a calor heater we had to drag from room to room. The language was quite different too. Somehow it all imprinted on me and I grew to love the culture.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So interesting, sounds different to the UK I lived in after 2000.
LikeLiked by 1 person
35 years makes a difference. I remember how the people still talked about WWII, as if it was yesterday. Americans did not do that, even though my father served during WWII in the Navy. I remember we did not have doubled-paned glass in any of the houses we rented either. One house, we had to put 50 p. into a meter to get electricity. :-D
LikeLiked by 1 person
It might sound unbeleivable, but in 2003 I lived in a flat, where I had to put 50p into a meter, and my studio flat in 2004, although in a lovely area in London, still didn’t have double glazed windows :D
LikeLike
Great quote! We have lived overseas and in many varied cultures over the years and have always tried to make the most of immersing ourselves into the culture. We always took the attitude of finding what we enjoyed and knowing that if there was something we just really didn’t like, it wasn’t forever. Looking forward to a trip to Europe this summer after a 15 year hiatus!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you :) I hope, you enjoy your trip to the fullest :)
LikeLike
I love this quote. I miss traveling – it’s a real eye-opener to see and experience the way people live in other countries, and one should embrace it because the opportunity might not come again. I have very fond memories of travels to Britain and Europe in the the 1980s. I was in Edinburgh in the summer but it was so cold that I kept putting coins in the meter in my room to stay warm! The only place I had double glazed windows was in Switzerland, which was fortunate because I was there in the middle of winter. I’ve lived all my life in the southern hemisphere so it was the only time I experienced Christmas in the snow. Wonderful! Like being part of a Christmas card.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great adventures :) My husband and I spent a weekend in Edinburgh during summer, when we were just dating, and now it’s one of my favourite cities. Not sure, what it’s mostly due – gothic architecture, weather, people or the romance of the first year together :)
LikeLike
Reblogged this on lifehomeandaway and commented:
The world is a large open space, yet cluttered. The only way not to get lost or lose focus is to explore cautiously.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reblogging!
LikeLike
[…] Tiny Expats […]
LikeLiked by 1 person