Advertisement
Published: July 17th 2015
Edit Blog Post
Capitalism in Prague
The new mall in the Smichov neighborhood of our hotel. What does it mean to be a tourist? Of course, there is not one definition that summarizes the concept with any finality.
I recall watching a documentary about the James Bond film phenomenon where the narrator explained that the first films from the 1960s tapped into an emerging phenomenon of middle class Americans traveling overseas in larger numbers. A curiosity about other places and increased earnings created a new breed of traveler. The movies that showcased exotic locations that Americans might visit whetted their appetite for such adventure (seeing Sean Connery as Bond didn't hurt either!). Yet even today most Americans do not have a passport.
It seems to me that it is possible to be a consumer as a tourist in much the same way as one can consume other sorts of products. To be a consumer-tourist does not only include purchasing the goods and services that a place offers to sell. It also, and perhaps more so, has to do with an attitude that one adopts consciously, but more often unconsciously about the experiences one encounters. At its core maybe it involves an objectifying of the people and place, seeing what one can get and take rather
The Suburbs
View of a train station about half an hour outside of Prague. than what one can give or share or partake of. Certainly, one gives dollars but that is not the same as other sorts of giving, even when it is helpful for the economy of the host.
I suppose that this subject is on my mind because I have always been somewhat uncomfortable with visiting a new place solely as a tourist who is just passing by to drink in - consume- the famous sights, sounds, and tastes and then leave. Sure, I enjoy the luxury of wonderful hotels and the remarkable sites to see. But it often feels superficial to me and I'm left with many questions that usually remain unanswered.
These thoughts have been more pronounced over the past few days because despite the remarkable allure of tourist Prague, I have had to spend it in a different way than expected. My father came down with a very bad sinus infection and before we knew what it was we had visited the neighborhood pharmacist and supermarket in the local mall (the mall is a vigorous testament to capitalism). Today a doctor came to the hotel to examine him and prescribe a treatment. We had to trust people
A Typical Lunch
Lunch starts at 11 am and is called dinner. But they also eat dinner. Meat, dumplings, and black currant juice. And fresh bread. whose system and methods are not the ones we know. I had to look in the giant supermarket around for various food items to have on hand. We got to see how Czech people deal with the elderly and the infirm not only medically but also interpersonally. I found them to be matter of fact and efficient. No frills, no smiles, do a job well and get on. They were extremely professional and expert.
While it's been hard for my dad to feel lousy it's also been valuable to encounter the city less as a tourist and more as two people trying to figure out how to interact with the locals on their terms. For me it humanizes the time we have spent here. Walking around the supermarket in the evening and observing other people who were probably shopping after a long day of work, exchanging a few words with the cashier lady, was as interesting to me in some ways as seeing the Prague castle from a boat on the river. As travelers in these old world cities it can be easy to overlook the people who are residents here, in our haste to encounter the famous buildings
Doctors Offices
The Czech Republic has a very solid health care system although it is going through changes still in the wake of the end of communism. The doctor who saw my father said that the system had more problems now. But I wasn't able to find out what he meant. and thoroughfares.
Czech is one of those very difficult languages to learn. I've had to speak English although I've enjoyed trying to figure out the signs and any cognates with English or French. It's also been intriguing to see how from location to location in a part of the world that is only 25 years beyond almost half a century of totalitarianism the different cultural mores are in evidence. And to see how in this very multi-national, multi-linguistic, and multi-ethnic Central Europe it is not easy for a western foreigner like myself to read the cultures. It is valuable for an American, in particular, and even someone like me who has lived overseas, to remember that the world does not revolve around our ideas of the good and the right. This, too, is part of the experience.
Poland is next as we are skipping Berlin.
Shabbat shalom from the city of Kafka!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.224s; Tpl: 0.019s; cc: 13; qc: 51; dbt: 0.1302s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Sarah Siegel
non-member comment
Rifuah Shlaymah
First, I wish your dad a rifuah shlaymah. My favorite thing to do in a new city is to go to a busy supermarket. I'm glad for the reminder not to objectify vacation destinations as Pat & I get ready for our upcoming trip to Israel. And yet I also remember some people turning their nose up at expats who lived in suburbs, rather than right in the city when we lived in India for six months, as expats who lived in the suburbs. I decided then that even suburban experience was also an experience of real life in India. I try really hard not to judge *how* people travel. Still, you're providing a healthy reminder, however we choose our living accommodations to aim for an I-Thou, rather than an I-It experience of the people and places. Thanks for that and shabbat shalom.