Getting Schooled in Aussie Slang

Posted on August 2, 2012 by sglaser

Some of my crazy but lovable year 8’s
© Stephanie Glaser

Teaching eighth graders, who are pubescent pundits, is challenging no matter where you are. But when you are teaching in a new country and you don’t know their slang, it’s just plain brutal.

I discovered this the hard way when, as an exchange teacher, I bumbled my way through one year of instructing Year 8’s in Adelaide, Australia.

I already knew a few tidbits before I arrived. For example, never say, “I root for the team.” The connotation of that statement would be that I do way more than cheer for my team to keep their spirits up. I also knew not to freak out when kids would say that they wore their thongs to the beach; they meant flip flops not G-strings.

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Bad Travel Move: Bringing “Tear Gas” to the UK

Posted on July 31, 2012 by sglaser

It’s official — they seized “tear gas” from me.

Even pre-911, this was a really bad idea. I brought pepper spray to Europe in the spring of 1995. It was an extra rookie move since I didn’t even think much about it at the time. In an age when a bottle of more than three ounces of shampoo or a tube of toothpaste will be confiscated before you even get to your departure gate, it is pretty ludicrous when telling this story today.

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The Friday Travel Ahh…

Posted on July 27, 2012 by sglaser

As anyone who travels knows, there are missteps, mishaps and misadventures, but then there are those perfect moments when we say: “yeah, this is why I travel.” I’m choosing Fridays to be the Travel Ahh… day.

In honor of the Olympics kicking off in London today, here is a photo of my friend Debbie at Trafalgar Square. London was the first stop of our 1987 summer trip to Europe (without parents!)

Iconic as a central meeting place in London, Trafalgar Square also seems an appropriate symbol for a day when so many countries and cultures will come together. Speaking of coming together, strangely, only two pigeons appear in the photo when actually there were heaps of them all over the square that day.

Avoid the Oops — Not Trying the Food

Posted on July 26, 2012 by sglaser

Time to suck it up!

Steph’s note: The adventures of travel are unpredictable and Travel Oops is all about celebrating the unexpected results. However, there are some travel oopses that you definitely want to avoid. Here is advice about the Avoidable Travel Oops.

The Avoidable Travel Oops: Offending your hosts because you don’t want to eat the food they offer.

Most travelers have had a dilemma like this: you don’t recognize what is on your plate; it smells like feet; it may even slither or crawl on the plate or it is of a hideous texture that induces immediate gagging. What do you do? Refusing to eat the food, in most cases, is an insult. Telling your host you are full may backfire since you might not get anything else to eat, and let’s be honest, it’s a pretty bogus excuse anyway.

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The Friday Travel Ahh….

Posted on July 21, 2012 by sglaser

When you are in between the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, you feel like you’re in an icon sandwich, at least I did. The two are such famous images worldwide. I took this photo as my family and I left the harbour on a ferry to Manly Beach. It was our goodbye to Sydney and to Australia, in a way, because the next day, we were leaving the country we had called home for one year. It was such a spectacular farewell. It was really more like a “see you later.”

Ballistic Bali Belly, a Squat Toilet and the Perfect Sunset

Posted on July 19, 2012 by sglaser

I knew it would happen. We were in Southeast Asia; it was inevitable. I just didn’t think that our encounter with a squat toilet would take place at Bali’s spectacular Tanah Lot right as the sun moved in for an incredible and blazing appearance.

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In Spain: Asking for Directions in Dutchlish

Posted on July 12, 2012 by sglaser

Asking for directions in a large city in a foreign country is stressful. Usually, you are lost in the first place, and if the country’s citizens, understandably, don’t speak English, much effort is involved in the inquiry. Additionally, the streets of many older cities in the world were not developed with the grid system in mind.

This is the case, certainly, in Sevilla, Spain. The streets wind around and often, it seems, their names change randomly.

My mom, Judy, and I visited Sevilla during Semana Santa, Holy Week — the biggest religious celebration of the year. It was challenging to navigate since the city was so crowded. Also, impressive religious processions with large wooden floats, containing religious relics, would flood many of the streets. Consequently, you’d have to go down another street, which may have another procession coming through.

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Welcome, Travel Bumblers and Stumblers!

Posted on June 19, 2012 by sglaser

Welcome to Travel Oops! Sometimes the best travel stories and experiences involve travel mishaps or misteps. When you think about your own travel tales, typically it’s the misadventures you remember most. This blog is meant to celebrate the blips, bloopers, blunders of travel — in other words, the blunderful. While these stories come from my own experiences, I’d love to hear your stories or comments as well.