During the month of December, we read Eat, Pray, Love for our bookclub. Now it’s time for us to discuss it.
Today we’re going to be discussing the writing in this book. Any great travel writing should be rich in descriptions that evoke a sense of place. While this book is much more a personal memoir around a travel experience and not true travelwriting, what makes it so provocative is its beautiful descriptive writing. What is your favorite descriptive passage? Why? What did it evoke in you? (Please remember, don’t post a long direct quotation, as the book is under copywrite. Describe passages and if you can include page numbers in your references. If you must quote, use quotation marks and cite the quote.)
Post your comments below, either by typing them into the comment section or by posting a link to your reflections on your own blog…
Read my reflections here….
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You know me, I’m always trying to figure out how to travel for next to nothing. When I find things that not only save you money but promote cultural understanding and world peace all at the same time, well, its like candy! Enter Couchsurfing.com.Anyone who has been or knows a 20-something vagabond knows what couchsufing it. Its the old, “Hey dude, can I crash at your place on Friday night?” way of finding a place to lay your head. Ok, most of us have done this at some point, including me. When I travel in the US, I always plan my trips around places I know I can find a free place to stay for a night (aka- people I know). When we moved to Chicago, we stayed with everyone from my husband’s highschool friend in Utah to friends of friends in Ames, Iowa. That’s couchsurfing.Couchsurfing.com takes this common practice and makes it an international movement/art form. After registering with their site and getting verified by them (that you’re a real person) you become a member of their couchsurfing community. Then, say, someone is coming to your home town. They post a note saying that they’re looking to couchsurf with someone in your area. If you’ve got a free couch, you reply to their post. Together you work out logistics, etc, and then when they fly in (or however they’re getting there) you pick them up, hang out, let them crash at your place, share some of your life with them, and BINGO- new international friend. Then, when you’re traveling to Boro Boro you do the same thing and meet another new friend. Yay! Lots of new friends. Lots of cultural sharing! Lots of free places to stay for the night!Way cool. Check it out. Register. Host people. Do it now, you know you want to…
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During the month of December, we read Eat, Pray, Love for our bookclub. Now it’s time for us to discuss it.
Today we’re going to be discussing the non-main characters in this book. Which character did you enjoy the most? Why? Which character do you think had the most direct impression on the author’s journey?
Post your comments below, either by typing them into the comment section or by posting a link to your reflections on your own blog…
Read my reflections here….
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We talked a couple of weeks ago about how knowing a few key phrases in the language of the place you’re traveling to will open lots of friendly doors. I thought I’d put together my basic list of words that I find helpful to know when going to a foreign country. These are in order of my personal opinion of their importance.
If you’re doing a bit of language cramming, here’s my list of words necessary to survive:
Hello
Goodbye
Thank you
How much is this?
Excuse me
What time is it?
Where is the train station?
Right
Left
Numbers 1-100
I don’t feel good, is there a doctor I can see?
Where is the bathroom?
My head hurts
Do you have a room for the night?
What are your favorite words to learn?
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During the month of December, we read Eat, Pray, Love for our bookclub. Now it’s time for us to discuss it.
Today we’ll be discussing the main character’s motivation. The writer tells us in the beginning of the book about how she developed her idea of visiting Itally, India and Indonesia during the period of her recovery from her divorce. Many people would view this reason for travel as ‘running away’ and yet through the course of the book we see how she wasn’t in fact running away from something but towards herself. Do you think that this is a common trope (theme)? Do you think we run away from things by traveling or making big changes in our lives?
One of the appeals of travel is it’s ability to change our outlook and impressions of life. How have you experienced travel that changes you?
Post your comments below, either by typing them into the comment section or by posting a link to your reflections on your own blog…
Read my reflections here….
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