andamu

Japanese Garden

Detail

The reflection on the
rippling water looks
like impressionistic
brush strokes.

A little more than two years ago we moved halfway across the country to the Pacific Northwest. This means that most of our friends from the past have been tied to other parts of the country (not to mention other countries). Whenever they come to visit, or blogging acquaintances happen to come to town, or colleagues fly in from abroad, we get the opportunity to play tour guide.

This role is something I relish; I love sharing the things that I like, and it usually gives me the opportunity to discover something new, do something I might otherwise not have done. You know the situation: there is some attraction in your area and you keep intending to go but never quite get around to it? Well, with visitors, all of a sudden you have a real incentive to go.

Another advantage is the fact that, whenever you have to think about something hard enough to be able to convey it someone else (e.g. think of tutoring someone in differential equations) you gain new insights yourself and end up knowing and understanding it better than before.

I still think I would love to be a tour leader once in a while. Not necessarily a tour guide, because I frequently do not know the fine details, but a leader steering the course of the tour and sharing the wonder that I have found in places.

So, does anybody fancy going to India in December?