MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
As I sit on a bench on this sunny morning in Spain, the world seems small.
I watch children play. They all look, sound, and act like Spanish kids.
As I stroll the path along the creek, I pass people from all walks of life. They all look different—different colors, different cultures, different languages. Here in Spain, I cross paths with the world, people from Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The world seems big.
I boarded a plane a few weeks ago at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC. The entire world seems to convene there to spread out to the four corners of the globe.
In eight hours, I found myself on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in Germany. A few hours later, I landed home in Spain.
The world seems big. The world seems small.
How can I cross the globe in a matter of hours?
A Disney Experience
Have you ever heard yourself say, “What a small world?” Or perhaps you recall the Disney ride and song, “It’s a small world after all.”
What does that mean exactly? As you glide along in that small boat from country to country, you visually and audibly visit the seven continents. In a matter of thirteen minutes, you have toured the entire world.
Yes, that makes the big world seem small.
An Unexpected Encounter
The other day, I heard myself say, “What a small world!”
I don’t say it frequently, but once in a while, my footsteps intersect with someone else’s, and the big world is suddenly reduced to a microscopic dot.
My husband and I went for breakfast at our favorite coffeehouse. Our waiter from Guatemala was kind and gracious, even as we stumbled along with our broken Spanish. He generously complimented us on our accents, which made us both chuckle.
After several minutes of laborious Spanish conversation and delight in practicing our new language skills, the waiter said, “I also speak English.”
Wow! His English grammar and pronunciation were nearly perfect.
“Where did you learn English?” I asked him.
“From American music and movies,” he replied. “I also have an American roommate. He’s an English teacher.”
“Really!” I said. “Where’s he from?”
“Missouri,” he replied.
“No way, Missouri?!” I said. “That’s where I’m from. Do you live here in town?”
“Yes, right here in town,” he answered.
“Wow! It’s a small world after all,” I said.
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
Let’s Weave Cultures!
How can the world be so big, yet so small? What kind of “small world” experiences have you had as you have traveled the great big world?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
