My cousin David asks, "Might blogging--both the writing and the "job" of blogging you've given yourself--get in the way of your more deeply experiencing the places you'll visit and the people you'll meet? Might blogging make it harder to be fully present during your trip?"
Definitely, but I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing on the whole.
Blogging will certainly get in the way of being "fully present" at times, but so would other ways of staying in touch with family and friends back home, such as sending mass emails or Skype-ing (Skyping?). I'll aim to be "very present," but I have no illusions of a perfection.
The upsides of of blogging will hopefully outweigh my lack of full presence. I created Jeremy Middleman partly to resolve the selfishness of personal travel. I'm going abroad to learn a little bit about a part of the world, and it would be a shame (and perhaps amoral) to keep what I've learned to myself or to restrict what I learn-and-tell to just what interests me -- that's where your questions come in.
There's also a risk, however, in being "fully present" wherever I am, and that's disregarding wherever I'm not. If all goes all goes according to plan, then blogging and fielding your questions will have the additional benefit of learning about aspects of "Romandia" that I would not have explored on my own.
I've been blessed by (hopefully only temporary) unemployment, which has allowed me to spend so much time abroad. Consider this blog a 'tax' on my experience, the revenue of which I'd like to share with you.
### to post a question or view pending questions, click here ###
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Q3: "Anything you'd like to collect on your trip?"
An anonymous poster (anyone want to claim this?) asks, "Anything you'd like to collect on your trip?"
When I was much younger, I collected those flat little wrapped soaps from hotels when our family visited relatives or went on vacation. I have no clue what happened to that stash of soap, nor what happened to my collection of hard-plastic trays and cups that I used to collect from airplane meals, from way back when airlines still served meals on cross-country flights. So my memory of forgotten collections makes me think twice about starting another doomed bag full of "stuff".
Still, I think there's a place for collections, especially if they're thought-provoking or evocative. (I consider my impromptu collection of Senegalese tree-stuff -- a large seed of the abundant trees beneath Dindefelo Falls, the bark of a Konkoran's costume, and a good-luck husk from a creepy guy -- to be in the latter category.) I don't know exactly what I would collect, but here are some of the thoughts I've had since first seeing this question:
- For a while, I've thought about collecting national constitutions. India, as the world's largest democracy, might not be a bad place to start.
- I might try collecting things related to the U.S. election, since I'll be in Romania on Election Day and in India on Inauguration Day. Maybe I'll collect the font pages of newspapers on these days and others when U.S. politics generates significant coverage.
- I might try to make a photographic collection of (for instance) taxicabs, beds I sleep on, computer cafes, animals in the road, people I meet, or types of bread.
Any and all suggestions are welcome. If I do start a collection, I'll post something about it on this blog.
### Want a question answered? Click here! ###
When I was much younger, I collected those flat little wrapped soaps from hotels when our family visited relatives or went on vacation. I have no clue what happened to that stash of soap, nor what happened to my collection of hard-plastic trays and cups that I used to collect from airplane meals, from way back when airlines still served meals on cross-country flights. So my memory of forgotten collections makes me think twice about starting another doomed bag full of "stuff".
Still, I think there's a place for collections, especially if they're thought-provoking or evocative. (I consider my impromptu collection of Senegalese tree-stuff -- a large seed of the abundant trees beneath Dindefelo Falls, the bark of a Konkoran's costume, and a good-luck husk from a creepy guy -- to be in the latter category.) I don't know exactly what I would collect, but here are some of the thoughts I've had since first seeing this question:
- For a while, I've thought about collecting national constitutions. India, as the world's largest democracy, might not be a bad place to start.
- I might try collecting things related to the U.S. election, since I'll be in Romania on Election Day and in India on Inauguration Day. Maybe I'll collect the font pages of newspapers on these days and others when U.S. politics generates significant coverage.
- I might try to make a photographic collection of (for instance) taxicabs, beds I sleep on, computer cafes, animals in the road, people I meet, or types of bread.
Any and all suggestions are welcome. If I do start a collection, I'll post something about it on this blog.
### Want a question answered? Click here! ###
Q2: "Why not "Jeremy Middleperson"?"
My cousin David asks, "Why not "Jeremy Middleperson"?"
A legitimate question, especially since my Berkeley heritage predisposes me to political correctness. The blog's title is an allusion to one of my favorite episodes of Arrested Development (or as G.O.B. might say, an "illusion" to it):
Now I don't endorse Larry's expletive, nor is my goal to "keep tabs" for you on any sort of "idiots". But I do like the idea of being your eyes and ears -- your surrogate -- even if momentarily and imperfectly. The analogy between this blog and Larry Middleman is pretty unrefined, but it would disintegrate even further if I were Jeremy Middleperson.
* I realize this snippet might be hard to follow if you've never seen Arrested Development, since it's really one of those things "you just have to see" to understand. All the more reason to start watching!
### Want a question answered? Click here! ###
A legitimate question, especially since my Berkeley heritage predisposes me to political correctness. The blog's title is an allusion to one of my favorite episodes of Arrested Development (or as G.O.B. might say, an "illusion" to it):
Michael Bluth: I'm sorry, have we met?
Bob Loblaw: This is Larry Middleman, your father's Surrogate.
Michael Bluth: Surrogate?
Larry: That's right, you dumb fuck!
George Bluth Sr.: See, I hired this guy to be my eyes and ears. This camera helps me...
Larry: ...keep tabs on you idiots while this thing rubs my ankle raw!
George Bluth Sr.: I mean, look at the size of this thing! I cant even go in the hallway without hearing that...
Larry: ...Beep beep beep.* (link)
Now I don't endorse Larry's expletive, nor is my goal to "keep tabs" for you on any sort of "idiots". But I do like the idea of being your eyes and ears -- your surrogate -- even if momentarily and imperfectly. The analogy between this blog and Larry Middleman is pretty unrefined, but it would disintegrate even further if I were Jeremy Middleperson.
* I realize this snippet might be hard to follow if you've never seen Arrested Development, since it's really one of those things "you just have to see" to understand. All the more reason to start watching!
### Want a question answered? Click here! ###
Friday, October 24, 2008
Q1: "So what made you choose Iasi? What's so special about it?"
Thanks to Utpal for posting the first question! He asked, "So what made you choose Iasi? What's so special about it?"
The principal reason I'm visiting Iasi is that my girlfriend is teaching and co-teaching some courses at Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Iasi's main and oldest university, on a Fulbright grant. (Some part of the campus appears to be in the background of this YouTube video -- I think the guy is singing in Romanian, if you're curious what the language sounds like.)
If global interest in a city can be measured by how much detail it gets on Google Maps, Iasi is an afterthought in a country that most people forget even exists:
No matter how far you zoom in, there's still no road to Iasi! (Good thing I'll be arriving in Iasi by train from Bucharest.)
Despite Iasi's cartographic ellipsis, the town has a relatively robust Wikipedia entry that suggests other reasons I might be excited to visit:
- "It has an active trade in metals, medical drugs (antibiotics), textiles and clothing, banking, wine, preserved meat."
- "The city is host to five universities, and is widely regarded as the cultural "heart" of the Old Kingdom (that is Moldavia, Wallachia, and Dobruja - the three regions comprising Romania until 1918)."
- A beautiful University library
After I arrive on Wednesday, I'll have a much better idea of what's to like and dislike about Iasi, and I'll update my answer to "What's so special about it?" accordingly. Thanks, Utpal -- I'll send a postcard your way...
The principal reason I'm visiting Iasi is that my girlfriend is teaching and co-teaching some courses at Universitatea Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Iasi's main and oldest university, on a Fulbright grant. (Some part of the campus appears to be in the background of this YouTube video -- I think the guy is singing in Romanian, if you're curious what the language sounds like.)
If global interest in a city can be measured by how much detail it gets on Google Maps, Iasi is an afterthought in a country that most people forget even exists:
No matter how far you zoom in, there's still no road to Iasi! (Good thing I'll be arriving in Iasi by train from Bucharest.)
Despite Iasi's cartographic ellipsis, the town has a relatively robust Wikipedia entry that suggests other reasons I might be excited to visit:
- "It has an active trade in metals, medical drugs (antibiotics), textiles and clothing, banking, wine, preserved meat."
- "The city is host to five universities, and is widely regarded as the cultural "heart" of the Old Kingdom (that is Moldavia, Wallachia, and Dobruja - the three regions comprising Romania until 1918)."
- A beautiful University library
After I arrive on Wednesday, I'll have a much better idea of what's to like and dislike about Iasi, and I'll update my answer to "What's so special about it?" accordingly. Thanks, Utpal -- I'll send a postcard your way...
New question category: General
I just added a new topic to the question tool. "General" will cover questions that are not location-specific. For instance, "What books did you bring?" or "What food do you miss most from home?"
Saturday, October 18, 2008
My Itinerary
October 30 - early December (2008): In and around Iasi ("yahsh"), Romania.
Early December - December 8: Visiting Cambridge & Oxford, England.
December 9 - March 3 (2009): Traveling around India. Arriving in Bangalore, departing from Mumbai.
March 4 - 18: In and around Iasi, Romania.
How this will (hopefully) work...
I'm about to take a very big trip -- the longest I've ever taken, unless you count leaving home for college.
But I won't presume you'll be interested in everything that happens. Instead, I'm only going to write about what you want me to write about. How? I've set up a page on Google Moderator where you can submit questions (or any arrangement of words, really) you want me to answer.
For now, the two topics are "Romania" and "India" -- the two countries where I'll be for most of the trip. You could questions such as:
- What are some traditional Romanian meals, and how do they taste?
- Have you met any call-center workers in Bangalore?
- What kind of cars are in the streets of Iasi, Romania?
- What are Delhi newspapers saying about the US-India nuclear pact?
- Could you take and post some photographs of the painted monasteries in Bucovino, Romania?
- Are you feeling healthy? (Hi, Mom!)
On the same site, you can vote on other people's questions, and other people can vote on yours. As often as I can, I'll answer the top-rated questions on this blog.
Get started, and ask me a question!
But I won't presume you'll be interested in everything that happens. Instead, I'm only going to write about what you want me to write about. How? I've set up a page on Google Moderator where you can submit questions (or any arrangement of words, really) you want me to answer.
For now, the two topics are "Romania" and "India" -- the two countries where I'll be for most of the trip. You could questions such as:
- What are some traditional Romanian meals, and how do they taste?
- Have you met any call-center workers in Bangalore?
- What kind of cars are in the streets of Iasi, Romania?
- What are Delhi newspapers saying about the US-India nuclear pact?
- Could you take and post some photographs of the painted monasteries in Bucovino, Romania?
- Are you feeling healthy? (Hi, Mom!)
On the same site, you can vote on other people's questions, and other people can vote on yours. As often as I can, I'll answer the top-rated questions on this blog.
Get started, and ask me a question!
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