A stranger in a strange land – vacationing in your own country

 

It is amazing how much life changes after a two-hour train or plane trip. One moment, you are in harmony with the world around you. In a (long) blink of an eye, you are in an alien landscape. Even if the language and signs are the same, you feel in a foreign land.

It is easy, convenient and relatively inexpensive to experience this transformation. A 45-minute commuter flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco drops you into the other California, one that lives to a different drummer than the Angelinos, with a far more European beat. An equally short but far more up-and-down flight from Paris to Nice seems to drop you in the slow zone, where time is to be enjoyed, not merely exploited. In Israel, a two-hour train ride takes you from Karmiel, some 20 kilometers from the Lebanese border and the constant noise of planes, helicopters and birds, to Tel Aviv, where the pace of life is frenetic and the density of people and cars seems overwhelming. Yet, in all three cases, the country and language are the same and are about the only common denominators.

The differences are both physical and psychological. Every region has its dominant topography and layout. A location may be rural and spread out or urban and compact. Nature and water may divide areas in some places while cement and roads fulfill the same tasks in others. More subtly, the pace of life in some places is slow and leisurely, even in some big cities, whereas in many metropolitan areas everybody seems in a hurry and anxious to show achievement. This difference of pace creates an internal dissonance in the confused visitor, who asks, “How can people live like this?”. This difference in rhythm is as disconcerting and maybe even as exciting at the same time as the experience of a baseball hitter trying to hit a 98-mph fastball after an 82-mph breaking bitch (or the equivalent in cricket). The shock goes beyond the physical effect and calls into question our ability to read the situation.

Despite the moments of feeling overwhelmed, it is rather entertaining to visit the alternative worlds so close to us. First of all, it is not necessary to suffer the inconvenience and unpleasantness of long international air travel, which has lost most of its charm in the last 20 years. Second, these other places provide opportunities for experiences unavailable where we live. For example, some cities provide a plethora of shopping possibilities while other locations allow a person to literally do nothing. Third, seeing how “those” people live reminds you how happy you are where you live and helps you appreciate what you have, or maybe not. In any case, it clarifies one’s perspective. Thus, the benefits of traveling close to home are both short- and long-term.

Therefore, when time, money and energy are short, there is much to recommend for a vacation to a place physically close by but so distant in vibes. These places can be as foreign as a distant country but without the high financial and physical cost of getting there and back. They also help us define what aspects of life are truly important. It is possible to be a stranger and then again a native within two hours, while never crossing an international border.

Far more than a day – holidays and non-business days

 

Translators not only translate words but also cultures. To demonstrate, I recently translated a purchase agreement of a flat (an apartment to Americans) from Hebrew to English in which it was explicitly stated that payments cannot be executed on the "holiday and chol hamoed”. Of course, translating this clause involved not only some understanding and thought but also discussion with the translation agency and a short translator’s explanation of the second term in square brackets. It was clear that a non-Jew or even many non-religious Jews would not understand this supplement to the holiday. However, to be fair, Americans also enjoy some implied extended holidays as do Europeans and even many Asians. When it comes to vacation time, the more, the merrier.

First, to explain to the perplexed (to borrow from Maimonides), among the numerous holidays in Judaism, two holidays add several  “good days” during which a person doesn’t have to work and may travel (as compared to the holiday itself when observant Jews do not travel). Specifically, after Sukkot, which occurs in less than two weeks, there is a “chol hamoed” of six days during which families can travel. Likewise, Pesach (Passover in English), generally in April, has a “chol hamoed” of five days in Israel and four days abroad during which many businesses are closed. As you can imagine, during this period, hotel prices are as high as Ben Gurion Airport is crowded. As for doing business with banks, the government or just about anybody, the answer is “after the holiday”. In other words, if you can’t beat it, join it. Getting annoyed won’t help. It seems that almost nobody is working. Thus, the contract specifically exempted these days from the payment schedule. If you are wondering, my solution was to transcribe the Hebrew word and add a brief explanation.

The Americans are not immune to this vacation inflation. Most foreigners are aware that Thanksgiving is a holiday, on the last Thursday of November by law, but foreigners may not be aware that is actually a four-day vacation. The additional off-Friday and weekend provide sufficient time for people to order their Christmas gifts online, creating “Black Friday”, but at the price of traffic jams, crowded airports and high prices, just as in Israel. Speaking of Noel, Christmas is far longer than 24 hours, magically extending to three days or more, depending on which day of the week the holiday falls. In any case, if you require any service provided by an office, wait until after the holiday.

The Europeans are not exactly sluggards in this department. For example, in France, August vacation is not a few days or even a week; it is the whole month, at least those that receive a salary. The government even has to take steps to ensure there are open bakeries that month. If that is not enough, Christmas vacation begins around December 20 and ends January 4 or later. Apparently, Jesus’ birth was a very long process. Easter is not much better, lasting a full week. Once again, the business world hibernates during the holidays.

Even the Chinese Communist government, usually quite demanding, has given in. The Chinese New Year official period is seven whole days, with some taking another week for the pleasure. Japan has the week-long “Golden Holiday”. By contrast and not surprisingly, North Koreans never celebrate more than two days. Yet another example, grantedly quite minor, of the oppression they suffer.

As you can see, although the word “day” appears in the word “holiday”, it does not limit the actual length of the event. This is important not only for tourists but also for locals, requiring a certain willingness to flow with the occasion. As for translators, it is their job to transmit, in the clearest possible way, the local texture of the generic word as it affects business relations. By the way, next week, there will be no post as I am going on vacation for a few days of course, for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  Shana Tova to everyone.

Piano recital

                                        Piano Recital

 

I, a concert piano at the Juilliard School of Music, hereby declare through my appointed representative that:

a.       I am a Model L Steinway piano, manufactured in 1989 (hereinafter: “the  Piano”);

b.       I am situated in the concert hall of the Juilliard School of Music, 155 W. 65th Street, in New York, NY;

c.       I have the complete set of parts standard for an 88- key piano;

d.       A professional tuner examined me and found me properly aligned and tuned;

e.       My wish is for a proficient pianist to play me;

f.        I waive my right to refuse cooperation with to a person playing “Chopsticks” on me.

                                               End of Recital

[no applause or encore]