A Broad Side - Neat things and why you should find them

I talked about what things you should bring back with you, but how did you get those things in the first place? Even if I don't know what country you are going to I can still help with this one. Ready? And go!

Interested in something? Anything? Culture? Martial arts? The first thing to do is get something based in why you are interested in that country. Find something unique to that place. I am very interested in Japanese culture and history. While I was there I went to some museums as well as found my own kimono, equipment for tea ceremony, had fun with some martial arts, and even went to the place where tea ceremony started. As far as things to bring back with me, I had a kimono and a lot of tea ceremony stuff. So focusing on your interests is a good way to get some of the stuff.

Since you are likely also there to learn the language then you should also consider finding a lot of things that you would want to read and collect them to bring back with you. This can help with your language skills, and be a resource that you couldn’t get back home. You do want to be careful of making sure you don’t make your suitcase too heavy, but if you don’t overload on these things you should be fine.

What about you own way of representing the culture or lifestyle that you found there in your own way? How can you do that? While there I wanted to learn more about the food, and now at home I make a lot of my own Japanese food as well as eat them with hashi or chopsticks. So if there is something you want to know more about, ask people there and research it so you can bring that knowledge back with you.

Let's hone in on some Japan specific things. Now I already mentioned that I found a kimono, but do you know how many parts there are? So many, more than you would have thought originally… well at least for the girl's kimono, the guys is a bit simpler but still. Why did I want to find this? Well it is something that I could not easily if at all find in the states and would be more than just a souvenir from Japan but it was also a journey. Finding it was not easy, there were things that you couldn’t just learn about them just by looking online. I had to speak with many old ladies to find out that the colors you used and matched with as well as the patterns made a huge difference. So just "getting a kimono" is not just a simple task but a journey that helped me learn more about Japan. This applies to the country you go to as well. Don’t just "get" what it is you want but learn about it too. This experience will deepen the experience you have

(plus most of those old ladies only spoke Japanese so it also got me a lot of practice)

Find out what it is like in the country side. Okay don’t think I'm spouting craziness just yet. The countryside can be completely different from the city. The people there will be different, talk different and who knows, you may like it out there better than the city. Even if you don’t it is an experience that you will not get in the city. Plus it is usually really beautiful out there.

Talk to the old people… okay yes they will probably bore you, especially if you never do it back home. But they are a great source of information, as well as helping you learn more about things you wouldn't or couldn’t otherwise find out about. Did I mention kimono colors and shapes? Also my tea ceremony teachers were old ladies, and I probably learned more from them than anyone else. So yeah. Get out and talk to some old people.

Go to a thrift store. Okay so the only thrift stores I have experience with are the ones in the US and in Japan. Regardless they are not the same. Different things are cheaper, there are things that you would never expect to find in a different country's thrift store. Maybe something you want is there and at a good price… like 1 dollar Pokémon games.

There are more things you could do so check it out. Find new things and go new places. Get lost! Actually that one is really important, and you really should try it in all seriousness. You learn a whole lot when you get lost. If there is anything else you think people should try leave it in a message down below. And if you liked this subscribe. Now go and try something weird. You will learn a lot from it.