The original intent of A New Lens was to provide an appreciative perspective on life in and the people of the Midwest. Having lived and traveled around some over the past 40 years, I thought my perspective might promote thought and maybe even heightened gratitude for those lucky enough to call NE South Dakota home. A question I pondered this fall was how to continue my column during my respite from local living during the winter months. Debbie seemed certain Review readers would find my away adventures interesting and informative so having completed my Southwest reentry stories, I will move on to a series of articles on travel. Over the past month, I have wondered how to make my observations and experiences relevant for readers who have never lived elsewhere or who haven’t had interest in and/or the luxury of travel. Who really wants to read about ancient foreign history and sites in unfamiliar cities/countries in faraway places anyway? Armchair travel may be interesting to some but I seldom read travel stories or blogs about places I haven’t been to or am not that interested in going to as they don’t seem relevant to my life.
There is a long list of reasons people choose to travel but for me it boils down to “enrichment.” Seeing and experiencing different places and cultures add both depth and breadth to my inner life and overall sense of wholeness. There seems to be an automatic “compare and contrast” mode humans go into when they are in new and unfamiliar territory where people have what seem to be strange and unusual behaviors. One of the things I have observed, about myself and others in these situations is our tendency to judge “different” as “less than.” I believe this is the first and most important thought or judgment we must suspend if we believe in the lifelong learning that accompanies travel be it from an armchair, train, plane or automobile. The “human condition” is the same the world over and we all live our lives and meet our needs in different, not necessarily lesser, ways based on the place, family and society we were born into. With this backdrop in upcoming travel related articles I will engage in some “comparing and contrasting” between life in the places I have been and the place I have “come home” to in northeastern South Dakota. My hope is that this approach will provide an interesting and relevant context for Review readers.
I will start with a simple relatable part of place and how it impacts people…the climate/weather. My travels over the past 5 years have been to SE Asia and, predominantly, northern Europe. My first experience in tropical weather (i.e. real heat and humidity) was in Costa Rica on an eco-tour which equated to no air conditioning. The only time I thought I’d live to tell about the trip was while we were driving from one destination to another in the air conditioned travel van. Based on the beautiful sun and azure sea sweep pictures we see with palm trees swaying in the background this was certainly not what I had envisioned from tropical travel. As such, we traveled to SE Asia during their dry season in December-February and spent most of our time in the mountainous region around Chiang Mai, Thailand where the temperatures are only 80-90 degrees that time of year. Lord help you if you travel to the area during the wet season when it is both hot and sweltering due to the humidity. The people live in shorts, tees and flip flops all year which saves on wardrobe costs. A lively 40 year old tour guide in Vietnam told us she had finally saved enough money to buy a small home for herself and her parents which included air conditioning. She shared with us that she had just worn pajamas for the first time in her life before which time such an act would have been described as “suicide by pajamas” without air conditioning. Life in tropical third world countries also means no insulation and few doors or windows on homes, although, we often saw lightweight material covering doors and windows which provide air flow and privacy. They burn herbs and incense for insect management which only kind of works. Alternatively, most of Europe has four seasons but from my perspective their seasons are mild so weather conditions seldom disrupt daily life. You have to travel to mountainous areas for real winter snow and the seashore for real summer as we know it. Their clothing needn’t be too diverse and as first world countries doors/windows and insulation are standard but air conditioning, not so much.
So, let’s compare and contrast these two different weather climates to that of the upper Midwest where we have wide fluctuations in our four season climate. This means, contrary to the climates profiled above, we don’t have to travel to get to snow or sunshine, just wait for the seasons to change. Yes, we have blizzards and some bitter cold snaps in the middle of winter which robust locals successfully manage their lives around. Both provide an opportunity to enjoy indoor activities and/or don today’s high quality cold weather gear to shovel out, get to work and/or have some fun in the snow. From what I have seen and heard, these winter experiences lead to some hair raising experiences and the sharing of many memorable stories with neighbors and friends. Yes, we have heat and humidity in the summer but, in my experience, it is mostly in August and only lasts several days at a time before a crazy front blows thru and cools everything off, for a while anyway. Plus, most of us are lucky enough to have air conditioning to escape to and never have to worry about pajama clad expiration in our sleep. Our wild winds have provided me with stories shared in previous articles and our soil composition is such that heavy rains, needed to ensure healthy harvests, are quickly absorbed thus preventing heavy flooding which much of the world experiences on a regular basis. The rest of the year it seems our weather just “changes often” which I personally like and which certainly prevents the weather boredom those living in the west often complain about. I mean, what would we talk about if it weren’t for our ever changing weather? A closing caveat, I do run hot by nature but still think we’ve got it made on the weather front and I wouldn’t trade it for those I have experienced elsewhere. Of course, I know I need to practice what I preach by sticking around through the winter one of these years which I will do…eventually! 2018