St. Petersburg, Russia
Traveling to a foreign country for the first time can be a little daunting. Especially when arriving in a new culture, with a foreign language and customs. Often, it comes as a big shock.
Many people choose a vacation package that shuffles them from airport to a bus, with a tour of famous sites narrated by a guide; or they opt for opulent hotels on a beach where everything is insulated from the native culture. Too much touring is a surface affair.
I am a film producer, and I love traveling and producing documentaries about different cities and countries. But well before I ever make a trip to do a film on a particular place, I spend months reading up on the places and people I am visiting, their history, their customs, and I always learn some of the basics of the language.
For instance, when my brother John and I made our film on St. Petersburg, Russia, I knew next to nothing of this beautiful city. I read books on the amazing history of the city, on Peter the Great, the founder of the city; on Dostoyevsky's connection to the city; on the Tsars, and the Russian Revolution, on the musical greats associated with St. Petersburg; on the Kirov Ballet; on the incredible siege of the city during World War II by Hitler's forces. I also spent six months learning the basics of the Russian language, and I read Pushkin, the favorite poet of Russians.
When I arrived in St. Petersburg for the first time, however, with this background information and learning, I found that the city and the people of the city were to become my teachers about the real St. Petersburg. But I was now open to that experience, and everything I had learned took its place in my new learning experience, and deepened and added to that experience.
I fell in love with St. Petersburg and with the Russian people. I think all the efforts I had made prior to coming to the city paid off; because the following year our film "St. Petersburg: A Tribute" was shown twice in Russian on Russian television to an audience of about 80,000,000 people.
I am talking about my experience making films; but I think the basic principle is the same: Do some basic footwork before your trip; learn about the place you are going to visit; and open yourself up to experiencing another culture and people. Appreciate the culture and the people. The effort will come back to you manyfold.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
