Are you one of them?
In our lives, we are generally with the people who are almost like us. Their nation, their language, their culture are the same as ours. Isn't that little bit boring?
Lucky people having tasted the feeling of being ''Stranger'' will understand what I mean. They are so familiar with the situation of being realized easily, when they are in another country. Even, this feeling is sometimes so close to you when you're in another part of your country.
Come on, little stranger!
We are sometimes afraid of being unknown, ignored or just not being realized. But this is almost impossible if you are seen as a Stranger. That's why people are travelling around the world; that's why they live for this feeling. Because, as soon as you start to walk on the street, you feel the curious eyes on you. You are there walking, discovering. Every little detail around you is showing something, showing the next street to turn. This new world is so new that you feel hunger for more street. Unconsiously, you are walking, walking and walking.
What you hear is a language you know or you don't know, but it's not your language. Maybe it feels you hear something like ''asdfghjkli'', but anyways you won't understand. If you're lucky enough, you can catch a word being added in your language centuries ago. But the best thing is that you'll try to speak that language, and they will laugh and love you just because you're trying. Conclusion: You're so sweet.
This feeling has many advantages. As everything around you is new born memory, you don't remember anything from the past. (This happens only if you're in a really exotic place) Being stranger makes you think about the future, not the past. You don't care and you enjoy your time. You'll definitely be inspired of what you see, what you've been told and what you feel. As you're alone you're braver. You have a full energy to enter a shop and ask the way. And it's easier to keep the way home in mind than it's in your home. Go straight, turn right, walk approximately 100 steps and you're there and totally free. Or get lost, you'll discover the best things in your life. You may even find the love of your life!
Talk!
The more you talk to people there, the more you understand the world. And then you see there are millions of world in the borders of this world. The very next feeling is that you realize this world is so unique that you're proud of being a part of it. If you stay in this place more than you expected, that means you notice the fact that all people are so similar and in fact, there is no one such as ''Stranger''.
“Smile at strangers and you just might change a life.”
― Steve Maraboli
“There's an opposite to déjà vu. They call it jamais vu. It's when you meet the same people or visit places, again and again, but each time is the first. Everybody is always a stranger. Nothing is ever familiar.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
What to do to keep this feeling when you're home..
Save some bus or metro tickets. Take a beer mat as a memory from your best night. Take photos. Sit somewhere and write. When you come to your home, all these things will remind you of your dreams, feelings and thoughts, your long 'to-do list' in your mind while travelling and your life-time goal. And now, write how this experience has changed you. You can prepare a plus-minus chart about yourself. Then, prepare your to-do list. And don't forget to add your next country to go at the end of the list.
P.S: The feeling of being stranger and travelling may cause an addiction which is so beneficial for your health.
“Best way to live in California is to be from somewheres else.”
― Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men
“Cities were always like people, showing their varying personalities to the traveler. Depending on the city and on the traveler, there might begin a mutual love, or dislike, friendship, or enmity. Where one city will rise a certain individual to glory, it will destroy another who is not suited to its personality. Only through travel can we know where we belong or not, where we are loved and where we are rejected.”
― Roman Payne, Cities & Countries
“Anyone who needs more than one suitcase is a tourist, not a traveler”
― Ira Levin, Rosemary's Baby
