(Take a breath and picture the planet from the moon's perspective)
Where do you belong?
Where is your heart?
Where is your damn ticket, again???
The best stories that we write are often written abroad. Rohinton Mistry said that the fiction that he has written (i.e. "Such a Long Journey") could only be created away from home. This conclusion leads to a question. What does one perceive as home? The fiction about the homeland that Mistry writes about is only possible because of the distance he has from it.
Perhaps that is a tenet that this virtual chasm of collected ideas, stories, images, and letters will provide its onlookers, readers and observers. We feel, however, that perhaps as important as it is to hear the tales of lands uncharted by various explorers; the individual who tells the tale of a land often visited provides an alternate perspective. Travellers often make discoveries in something that they thought familiar.
The value associated with locations also changes with political instability, civil unrest, and structures coming down -- whether they be walls in '91 or towers on 911. The realization that there are no absolute meanings or values may lead one to see palaces as prisons and Queens as a co-conspirators. This perhaps just as valid a stance as a monarchist's desire to photograph a changing of the guard, and an eagle as a true symbol of freedom.
Experiencing different cultures makes travelling more adventurous, while affording us the opportunity to reexamine our own customs whatever they may be. We admit some of the most interesting stories come from locals. Perhaps you have met several locals and have their stories to share. Or maybe you feel like a local while abroad. Perhaps you're trying to fit in by immersing yourself in culture and tradition. In any event, we want to hear about it. Why is feeling at home in a place so far from your 'hometown' important? Have you achieved it...and how? Are you teaching English in Japan? Or are you studying waves in Australia? How to pour the perfect pint in Dublin? Is it important to feel like a local or is being a foreigner satisfying enough for you?
With this being said, may we invite your fluff and fervour of the life you lead outside your element. From lost luggage to Newfoundland...
From far and wide Oh ... you know what we mean.
We invite tales and opinions from every corner. We hope to have a special place for those working abroad, whether it be teaching in Beijing or guiding tours in Banff. We hold a warm place for those who are studying whether it be a second third or fourth language, or searching abroad for hidden gems or expansive plains, or simply just abroad...
-- Alex Sen Gupta and Diana Pereira, Getthere.ca editors
