Essay

Two for one!

By Kip A. Cates

It's always exciting to visit a foreign country. Just choose a place, then book a package tour. One week in Thailand! Two weeks in France! It's so easy.

But what if you're greedy? Is it possible to visit one country but experience two cultures? Of course! How? By joining a tour to one country organized for people from another country. That gives you two cultures in one trip. Two for one!

Let me give an example. My wife and I had always wanted to visit Russia. We decided to join a package tour. My mother and her British friend wanted to come along. No problem!

We were working in the Middle East at that time teaching English to Arab students. In those days, there was no Internet, so we booked our tour through a local travel agency— an Arab tour of Russia!

It was exciting to arrive in Moscow! My mother had flown from California. Her friend had flown from London. My wife and I had flown from Jordan.

There were 20 people in our group: 16 Arabs, my Japanese wife, my Canadian mother, her British friend and me. The Arabs were really nice people and we soon became good friends. There were some businessmen, a few students, a family with two cute kids and a couple on their honeymoon. It was the man's second marriage. In Islam, men are allowed four wives. His first wife was back home with the kids!

Our two-week tour was a lot of fun. We visited Moscow, Leningrad and Sochi— site of the 2014 Winter Olympics. We did face some challenges, though.

One problem was language. Our Russian tour guides gave all their explanations in Arabic! Each time, we had to ask our Arab friends, "What did she say?" Luckily, they kindly translated into English for us.

The other problem was assumptions. The Russian staff would look at us— two Canadians, a Japanese and a Brit— and assume that we'd got separated from our national groups.

We went into restaurants and the waiters would panic. "You're in the wrong room. This is for Arabs!" We tried to board our tour bus and security guards turned us away. "You must be lost. This is the Arab bus. The Canadian tour bus is across the street. The Japanese bus is over there."

Despite all the problems, it was a great trip! We loved Russia— the museums, the ballet, the circus, the people. And we learned a lot about Arab culture. We never ate pork, avoided alcohol and had time scheduled for Islamic prayers. It was a privilege to see Russia through Arab eyes.

Why not experience two cultures for the price of one? A German tour of Brazil. A Korean tour of Mexico. A Chinese tour of Australia. The possibilities are endless!

一つで２つ分おいしい

筆者は中東で英語を教えていたころ、日本人の妻と、カナダに住む母親とその友人のイギリス人の４人で、アラブ人向けのロシアツアーに参加した。一体どんな旅になったのだろうか？

The Japan Times ST: December 6, 2013