Entry 2 (July 2021)
When we decided to spend a full year abroad—12 countries in 12 months—for some strange reason,"Can I buy Depends® in Morocco?" was the first question to pop in my mind. I know the answer is: Yes, you can buy Depends® or something comparable in Morocco. Of course, you can. People all over the world have the same senior challenges as we do in the United States. But, after an unsettling vision of me lugging a suitcase of Depends® through airport customs, I thought it a legitimate question. I guess I’ll find out, because with a one-suitcase limit, I will not use it for a year’s worth of bladder control products. HAHA! (Not that I need them yet, mind you…but just in case. LOL!)
Thus, this brings up this month’s topic for discussion: cultural immersion.
Our goal this journey is to immerse ourselves into 12 different cultures one month at a time. I know a month isn’t very long to become a “local,” but we want to do as much as we can in a month to get to know the culture of the community where we’re living. This includes buying their brands of food, toothpaste, and…ahem…other necessary items.
So, what exactly does this mean? We’re focused on quality rather than quantity. We do not plan to see how many countries we can visit in a year. (Maybe we’ll do that another time.) Our intent is to “settle down” in each community: get to know the locals, shop the way they do, find a church to attend, hang out at their restaurants and coffee shops and pubs, enjoy the parks or beach or hiking trails in the vicinity, etc. We will NOT be country hopping day after day or week after week. (Though, we may pop into Morocco and Norway while we’re in the area.)
So, I need your HELP!
Now we need to figure out where exactly to “settle down” in each country. We have selected a few places, but I need your help with the others. If given the chance, what town or city or village would you live in the following countries (or continents): Australia, Chile, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Africa, and Israel.
If all goes according to plan, the other five places we’ll “live” are Emmerlev, Denmark; Tallinn, Estonia; Lauterbrunnen (or Wengen), Switzerland; Pokhara, Nepal; and Chiang Mai, Thailand. If you have suggestions of what to do, where to eat, who to meet in these places, I’d appreciate your advice.
We’re also open to any general long-term travel advice from healthcare ideas, to the best apps to stay connected with family, to using our iPhones around the world.
Oh, and if anyone knows where I CAN buy Depends® in Morocco, let me know….just in case.
Hasta luego,
Pam
Prague, Czech Republic (2018)
Travel quote: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
Bilbo, by J.R.R. Tolkien
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