As most of you know I'm an import from New Zealand. After 14 and half years in the USA you think I would be use to the breakneck speed that everyone seems to have here. Well I'm still not use to it and there are days I wish I could press a pause button and freeze everything and play catchup. It is amazing how much everyone tries to pack into one day, how many hours they work and how tired and run-down they seem to be.
In New Zealand I was mainly raised in small towns and so I'm still trying to get used to the big city feel of the cities I have lived in since coming to the States. My first place was Northern Virginia where we were in the DC Metro area and a year ago we moved to Los Angeles. Both places I felt very out of place with the size and the pace of life. Since moving to LA I feel like the pace has doubled that of what we had in Northern Virginia. It is like people feel they have to race through life at some break neck speed to get everything done.
And don't get me started on the traffic! I personally hate freeways and will avoid them where possible. It drives my husband nuts, but then he was born and raised in LA, so he is used to it. In New Zealand when there is a rush hour it can last anywhere from an hour to two hours. In LA it seems to run 24/7! I love taking the surface streets and taking time to check out the neighborhoods as I drive through them. I have discovered some roads that twist and turn and would love to close them off and have the thrill of really driving along them. By really driving I mean in a stick shift using the gears to slow down to go around the curves. I'm sorry but driving an automatic along these roads is not really driving.
Okay now to get back on track...whenever I visit New Zealand I feel like I'm in another world. The pace there is so much more relaxed and it seems as if time has slowed way down. Some parts of New Zealand seem to run slower than others. I remember one year we were in Coromandel for a vacation and there was a local fare happening. They said the start time was 10am, we rolled up around 10am for the fare. Nothing was setup! Turns out in Coromandel when something starts a certain time that is the time you arrive to begin setup and everything starts once everyone is setup. So we sat there in the paddock (field) where the fare was being held, we watched as the fare came to life. it was pretty cool.
I have taken my husband back to New Zealand twice since I moved to the States. Both times we stayed in New Zealand for three weeks. By the time we boarded the plane to head back to the States we felt like we had been away for months instead of 3 weeks. We came back well rested and relaxed.
There are some places in the States where I have discovered a slower pace. One was when we were on vacation and we stopped in Blue Ball, PA. We spent three nights in a Bed and Breakfast in Blue Ball which is in Lancaster county and the heart of the Amish area. We even got to dine with an Amish family and learn more about their lifestyle. It was very refreshing to get back to basics with them and we had an amazing experience.
Not long after I moved to the States we did a weekend getaway to upstate New York. I got to meet a penpal I had been writing to for about 10 years. We are talking pen and paper and the postal service - no computer involvement. My penpal lives on the shores of Keuka Lake which is one of the Finger Lakes. It was a great weekend, again the slower pace and the scenery was incredible!
Another weekend getaway involved a two hour drive from home into West Virginia and a stay at a Bed and Breakfast just out of Charles Town. Even though it rained most of the weekend we had a the best time "Sunday" driving around the area and relaxing at the B&B reading. No one seemed to mind that we were "Sunday" driving as everyone else was "Sunday" driving too.
I will never forget my visit to Greensboro, SC. I had a wonderful work associate/friend show me her town. It reminded me so much of small town community living that I had grown up in. It was a Friday evening and we had a great time sitting outside at a restaurant by the river enjoying a great meal. Then we wandered down the main street that had been closed to traffic. Apparently this happens every Friday night during the summer and the main street becomes one big street party. There are food and beverage vendors out in force and families bring their blankets, chairs, etc and sit, chat, eat, drink and enjoy the live bands that are playing. It was a wonderful community party and it was packed!! Made me homesick for small town living in New Zealand.
One thing you can learn by visiting a place like New Zealand, Australia, or even Europe is how to slow down and enjoy life. Did you know that in the States most families take a 7-10 day vacation once a year, while in New Zealand, Australia, and European countries it is common for you main yearly vacation to be 2 weeks or longer! Why do Americans feel the need to work themselves into all sorts of health issues with 60, 80, even more hours per week? Just go back to two blogs I wrote in April called "Travel for Modern Day Workaholics" and "Rushing Around like a Hummingbird, Time to Take a Break" and check out our Radio Show "Working to Live or Living to Work" to see and hear what we have to say about Modern Day Workaholics.
What are some of the places that you have traveled to either in the States or some other country where time seems to stand still? Let us know.
No comments:
Post a Comment