Peer to Pier Interviews

Peer to Pier: Conversations with fellow travelers

Everyday life is a classroom.

That said, I find I am most open to learning when traveling. In my everyday life, I can tend to expect things to be a certain way — and often be an unhappy camper when they’re not!

When taking a trip, however, I am in an induced state of anticipation and curiosity. I embark expecting to be in new surroundings, see things I haven’t seen before, hear different accents, taste exotic dishes, smell unusual aromas.  I am more attuned and receptive to other ways of doing things and seeing life. And, of course, one of the greatest windows into the soul of a culture is its people.

Travel gives me the freedom to be a kid again and say to the people I meet “I don’t understand — can you explain?” and then have the time and space to let a “foreign” outlook seep in and maybe marinate a little bit.

And, ironically, often the lessons imparted to me while I am on the road have absolutely nothing to do with from which continent the “teacher” presented to me hails. That, to me, is one of the greatest gifts of travel — seeing not only our differences, but, in fact, how alike we all are. . .

. . . to learn how someone from the jungle has dealt with an ill parent, how someone from an island has tried not to be so hard on himself, how someone from the desert discerned what his calling was, how someone from the fjords found acceptance, how someone from the mountains relied on his faith in a time of self-doubt.

The idea of nurturing that sense of wonder and openness, of keeping the conversation going while I am home in Nahant, and of passing on what is shared with me, is the point of the monthly interview column “Peer to Pier: Conversations with Fellow Travelers.”

Each column offers a Q & A with someone with whom I have crossed paths, and a glimpse, through their eyes, of this journey called life.  I think you’ll find inspiring their responses to what are universal questions.

I hope you enjoy this feature and I encourage you to chime in with your two cents through the blog.

Iain Morrison	Simón Vélez	Duke of Argyll
Alvaro Restrepo	Julie Eaton / Lobster Boat Captain	Peter Beerits / Artist & Sculptor
Ergo-Hart Västrik / Estonian Folklorist	Irma Thomas / Soul Singer	Donald Smith / Director, Scottish Storytelling Centre April 2012
Kurt Wenner / Master Artist March 2012	Kate Cooper-Jensen / Skydiver January 2012	Kaie Tanner / Estonian Choral Director, December 2011
Michael Krauss / Linguist, November 2011	Maria Michelson / Kihnu Estonia, October 2011	Bonnie J Gisel / Yosemite, September 2011
Arn Chorn-Pond / Cambodia, Aug 2011	Lynn Pirozzoli / Black Horse Inn, July 2011	Sue Coppard / WWOOF, June 2011
Jian Lin/ Geophysicist, Woods Hole, May 2011	Julia Deneva/ Radio Astronomer, April 2011	Susana Sá Fontinha / Biologist, March 2011
Victor Bravo / Flamenco Artist, February 2011 Victor Bravo en Español	Claudia Scholler – Cortijo El Saltador, January 2011	Sophocles Hadjisavvas Cyprus, December 2010
Cheryl Finley African Diaspora, November 2010	Cécile Duvelle / UNESCO, October 2010	Irvin Trujillo / New Mexico September 2010
Mark Farley / Palm Springs, August 2010	Anahit Gharibyan / Armenia, July 2010	Jose Santos Tamay Mayan Healer, June 2010
Christine Barrely Travel Author Photographer, May 2010	Kathy Calvin UN Foundation, April 2010	Hitesh Mehta Eco Architect, March 2010
Jeff Morgan Global Heritage Fund, February 2010	Iréne Jensen Iceland, January 2010	Beth Brewster Nepal, December 2009
Dr Reuben Grima Malta, November 2009	Eva Michaelsen El Camino, October 2009	Lucy Fleming Belize, September 2009
Curtis Cook Tofino, B.C., August 2009	Dr. Kam Srikameswaran India, July 2009	Des Dempsey Ireland, June 2009