Learning About New Cultures: North Dakota

Every time I open my mailbox it feels kinda like a mini Christmas morning.  I never know what exciting presents and adventures await me.  A lot of days I get the equivalent of Christmas socks and underwear*. Yes I'm happy to continue receiving health care, but I can't get overly enthused about letters telling me that.  Sometimes I get more exciting things, like offers for enough free flight miles to get my wife a free ticket to Japan just by signing up for a credit card.  

But today, I found a completely awesome present waiting for me from my friends from North Dakota. If you've never heard of North Dakota it's technically an American state and it is cold.  I don't know much more about North Dakota, but my friends live there and they sent me a present full of items that represent the culture of North Dakota and it's people.  The didn't explain any of the items, so I've had to use a little deductive reasoning to understand the meaning of the gifts.

I did a little research about North Dakota and discovered that North Dakota is 90% farm land and has an average of 9 people and 25 cows per square mile**.  I didn't find any articles about North Dakota's culture or what kind of currency they use, but based on the three gifts my friends sent me I've learned some other very important things about North Dakota.

North Dakota's National Snack

1. One of the most popular snacks in North Dakota seems to be Hello Panda chocolate filled cookies.  I know what you're thinking, I had the same question.  How do they fill the cookies with chocolate creme, but still keep them crispy!?  I have no idea, but apparently these crafty North Dakotans have discovered the secret and are keeping it all to themselves.  No wonder those South Dakotans are so jealous.

A Typical North Dakota Farm Animal

2. Cows there are green.  I'm not sure if all cows in North Dakota are green or just certain breeds.  But if the stuffed animal my friends sent me is any indication, cows in North Dakota are mostly green and don't have tails.  I wonder if they eat a special kind of grass that makes them green or if they just had some kind of strange mutation.  Although apparently the hair on their head is immune to whatever causes the rest of their hair to turn green.

Trendy North Dakota Facial Hair

3.  Apparently most people/farmers in North Dakota have or want green mustaches.  I assume they sent me these mustaches so that when we visit later this summer, we can wear them and look like locals.  Are people's mustaches in North Dakota green for the same reason their cows are green?  Or do the farmers just paint them green in honor of their great cows?  Hopefully I can find some answers to these questions on my journey to the great white north.

North Dakota sounds like an incredibly fascinating culture, full of ancient traditions and delicious foods like Hello Panda cookies and green facial hair.  I hope that I can learn more of their traditions and meet lots of kind people and green cows on my road trip there this summer.  I can't wait to meet you North Dakota.

P.S. If you're reading this and are my language partner from Japan, this blog is a joke.  If you are anyone else, everything I said is absolutely true.

*Even if someone you know has a lot of holes in their underwear/socks, don't get them new ones for Christmas or their Birthday.  There is a time and place for boring, utilitarian presents; it's called April Fool's Day.

**This is actually true.

This Week's Bucket List Additions 3

-Become a Baron. Difficutly rating: 2 out of 10
     Specifically, I want to become a baron of Sealand, described by some as the world's smallest nation. Sealand is a fascinating story, I think.  Apparently, during World War II, England built several sea forts to defend themselves against German air raids. (Sea Forts!?  This story is already awesome!)  After the war had been won, England abandoned these forts, several of which sat in international waters outside of any nation's borders.  In 1967 Major Paddy Roy Bates began living on one of the forts, broadcasting pirate radio and declared the fort his own nation, the Principality of Sealand.  He created his own constitution, flag, anthem and even minted coins and stamps.  The English courts eventually declared they had no jurisdiction over him after the navy tried to charge him for firing warning shots at them.

Sealand Coat of Arms

     Years later, Sealand even fought a 'war'.  While Major Paddy was away on vacation, a German 'businessman' and some of his Dutch henchmen invaded Sealand and took Prince Michael hostage.  Major Paddy returned to Sealand, subdued and imprisoned the invaders, and even forced Germany to send a diplomat to negotiate for the release of the prisoners!  To this day the German businessman claims to be the rightful king of Sealand in exile.

Picture of Sealand from Wikipedia.org

     And how do I plan to become a Baron?  Because Sealand is so small, it has very few citizens or businesses to tax. (Their only real business is a high-security internet hosting company that leases space on the fort.)  Therefore Sealand sells nobility deeds online to help raise government funds.  You can become a Lord, Lady, Baron or Baroness of Sealand for only £30!  Maybe for my next birthday, I'll become a Baron!


-Sell a Photograph to Someone I Don't Know. Difficulty Rating: 5 out of 10
     I think that all of us have an artist inside.  We all try to express ourselves through song or dance or blog sometimes.  Everyone tries to share something beautiful or true that they have seen on occasion.  Certainly we all create, whether it's a story or a sweater or a picture.  And with that, we all have some need to be recognized as talented or unique or entertaining.  For some that means we want others to laugh at a joke we have crafted.  Maybe others want people to wear their sweaters or marvel at the Magic: the gathering decks they've built.  I want a stranger to see one of my pictures and find it valuable enough to buy.  I've started asking local libraries and coffee shops if I can get some of my pictures on their walls, and hopefully this will lead me to my goal.

copyright Jeff Howick 2011

-Visit Every Continent. Difficulty Rating: 8 out of 10
     I've always loved to learn, and what is travel if not learning about the world?  I want to learn about other cultures and places and I want to do it firsthand.  I want to experience the great diversity and beauty this world has to offer and share some of my culture with others around the world.  I'm sure it will take awhile to visit every continent, but this is certainly one bucket list entry where the journey is more important than the goal.  My ultimate goal is to learn about the world and share meaningful experiences with people far and near.  Visiting every continent is just a convenient and catchy way to paraphrase this goal.  Which is why I may also make an exception for visiting Antarctica.

This Week's Bucket List Additions 1

I'm constantly discovering new places I want to visit or thing I want to do.   I think it would be fun to keep track of new additions to my bucket list once a week here on my blog.  Maybe it will even help me have better follow through pursuing some of my goals and dreams.  So here are this week's additions:

-Fly around in a Zeppelin dressed in a suit and top hat:  Difficulty rating 6 of 10

I can't imagine why Disney World doesn't have a fleet of Zeppelins to carry people between their parks and hotels.  If you really want to focus on the journey rather than the destination, what better way to travel is there than by Airship?  Airships have the romanticism of hot air balloons, the freedom of movement of helicopters, and the luxury of cruise ships.  Unfortunately zeppelin travel is not cheap or plentiful.  But at least it is possible,   Zeppelin NT offers several flights over Europe and San Francisco.  One day I'll be soaring through the skies in style with no hurry to land.

captured from a highway in Southern California, on our way to a friend's wedding

-Visit Every Town in America: Difficulty rating 9 of 10

When I was in high school, one of my teachers told me, "a lot of people say that America is a melting-pot where other cultures come and they all blend together.  But I think it's more like a salad bowl; each piece of the salad keeps it's own flavor, but together they make something great."  I hear a lot of people talk about 'American Culture' and 'The American Dream', and usually they mean 'my culture' and 'my dreams'.  That's fine, but I think American is much less homogeneous than most people think.  I want to see all of America's diversity and hear each town's story.  America is such a huge, diverse place this goal will not be easy to accomplish.  But even if I don't finish, I think the journey will be well worth it.

captured on a trip to Scranton, setting of the American TV show 'The Office'

- Display some of my photos at a library: Difficulty rating 5 of 10
I love to take pictures, and like most people I love to share my passions with others.  I visit my local library once or twice a week and I always love seeing the new art exhibits.  We all have the ability to make the world better through something we've created whether it's art or science or a child.  One day I'll have my own exhibit in a library and share some of the beauty I've seen in this world with others.

taken on the beach in Sea Bright, NJ

Fleet Week in New York City

This week a few thousand brave Navy men and women took a brief respite from defending our nation and descended upon the busy streets of New York City. Every year, Fleet Week not only allows sailors to explore the landmarks and people of New York, but in exchange the military gives the general public a chance to tour their boats and get a brief view of life as a navy sailor.

aboard the USS Iwo Jima

While aboard a Navy aircraft carrier which was much larger than I had expected, my wife felt like she was in a different world. The life of a Navy sailor is very different than the life we lead. Touring the navy ship felt like that brief moment when you forget yourself while reading a book or watching a movie and feel as if you're an elf or superhero in a strange world. St. Augustine believed that, "the world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page."
I agree with him, but I also believe there are many ways to travel. There is more to travel than physically exploring new places and seeing new sights. We can briefly travel to a new culture by eating its food. Or we can travel to space with a good sci-fi movie like Star Trek. Especially in this economy, we might not all be able to travel to foreign lands, but there are still ways to explore new places and people without leaving your city. This week I was lucky and the Navy came to me, giving me an opportunity to live just a moment as a sailor and explore the seven seas.

Traveling makes me sick.

Traveling is fun. What I mean to say is that seeing new places, exploring different cultures, and visiting far away family and friends is fun. Flying on an airplane and traversing freeways in a car, however, sometimes makes me sick. Ground transportation isn't so bad, usually it just makes me tired and prevents me from reading vomit free. Air transportation is the worst. Dozens of strangers, if you're particularly unlucky some of them children, are stuffed in a tiny tube of metal with two port-a-potties and a vomit bag for every seat and then hurled through the air just one mistake away from plunging to the earth in a fiery ball of death.But, man, there is nothing like coming home. Home is the best feeling there is, especially when you've just survived a plane ride and brush with death. And for the delicious chocolate icing on the cake that is today, I just discovered that my check for a Star Trek uniform from a cheese-it box was cashed! Which means a glorious Starfleet uniform is on its way to my doorstep as I type. Today was a GREAT day.

Perspective

Perspective is a funny thing. Most of the time our world perspective just sits quietly unnoticed, subtlety influencing most of our thoughts and actions. And then one day, something happens and the way we feel and view the world changes. It's happened to all of us. Sometimes it's fast, like a revelation. Sometimes it's slow, like college. However it comes, perspective change is a great thing, it often breeds creativity, empathy, and gratitude.I find the easiest way to experience a change of perspective is to experience a change of location. When I see a new part of the world, I also see the world in a new way. I'm sure this is why so many people love vacation. It's not just a chance to have fun and take a break from work. It's a chance to see the world from a completely foreign perspective. Don't let your perspective, and your life, grow stale. Go somewhere new, even if its just the next town over, and see the world from their eyes. If you can't travel, then try a new food or listen to a new radio station. Do whatever you can to remind yourself that your view of the world isn't the only view.