Cultural Ignorance

I have traveled to a few country thus far in my life. Growing up I didn't expect to see any of the world that wasn't delivered by a teacher or splashed across the local news. To date, I have visited Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Denmark and recently Bulgaria.

My desired to visit those countries, and other countries, comes from an inability to see "American Culture from within." (One might assert that I've been to lazy to see it but I'm not sure that fully accurate.) Also, I wanted to see first hand other cultures and become acquainted with other ways of thinking. And, most of all, life's purpose is about experiencing and appreciation. If you never move, you rarely see something new.

To this end, I try my best to think larger than I am, think beyond where I am, think how it must be different and why (whatever "it" happens to be.) Understanding that we are born mostly empty of conscious knowledge, we fill in the blanks from the environments and contexts we experience and (think we) know.

Which brings to me to my point: I am human and I make mistakes. At dinner yesterday a friend gently reminded me of my general ignorance of most things. Not the first time I've been issued the reminder that I simply don't know enough. I didn't take it personally because it's true. (Please distinguish the word 'Ignorant', which I am, with word 'Stupid', which I am not.)

In some ways, being 'Ignorant' on a particular topic is The Ideal Vantage Point in which to look at something new. And, without committee or counsel, mistakes can and will happen.

This long preamble over, I will share my observations about my latest overseas trip to Bulgaria. While I don't anticipate doing so, I may observe something "incorrectly", based on my limited knowledge of Everything. If so, please accept my apologies in advance. Please also accept my genuine sincerity if I elect to hold to my observations even in the face of new information. I think differently, making a number of unexpressed analogs between distant concepts, and may need to hold that "mistaken observation".