Happy Valentine’s Day, all!

I’m writing today with a Chronicle article that is relevant to our discussion at Tuesday’s Global Perspectives meeting about the benefits and drawbacks of traveling this summer with our (relatively heavy) laptops.

While this piece is written with a focus on those traveling to developing countries, I believe that it addresses very well the importance of allowing one’s self to become immersed in a new culture.  It can often be too easy, it explains, to travel abroad but to remain immersed in our familiar world of favorite music and television, for example.  But, it argues, if we can disconnect ourselves just a bit, we can focus on the new culture surrounding us.

I, for one, fully intend to bring some technology to help me to document my experiences, but here’s my pledge that I’ll take some time away from Netflix and my iPod to focus on the incredible journey that we’re about to experience.