veronica mars & the unexpected ways life overseas shapes your interests...
I've been thinking about the ways that living overseas shapes your interests in ways you don't expect. I think most of us anticipate learning something about the host culture, that's inevitable. That may even be in large part the romanticized impetus that draws one abroad. R's love for Chinese tea is a prime example. It's a way that Chinese people relax, and so it's something he's picked up in order to rest here.
But what about the other interests that develop on the periphery due to living abroad? Often times things that we miss from our home culture become all the more pronounced. We need an escape when the host culture just rubs us the wrong way and the familiar is too far away. The usual outlets and things that fill our schedules in the US don't necessarily exist and sometimes we replace them with the unexpected.
Friends of mine who live out where I did my first 3 years in Asia have taken up dirt biking. They are quite out-doorsey to begin with, but something tells me if all the options that exist in the US were available, they might not have gotten into the sport. It's not particularly Asian or American, but it's their outlet and a way to explore and enjoy the world around them.
I'm not nearly as cool as they are and have always been prone to more indoor activities. What really triggered my thinking about this topic was all the buzz about the Veronica Mars movie kickstarter campaign.
Have you heard about it? I can't stop thinking about the fact that this movie will finally be produced! In case you have no idea what I'm talking about, Veronica Mars was a ridiculous TV series (really where Kristen Bell got her start) that ran from 2004-2007. The plot is based on a high school detective in Southern California. I like to compare it to Alias meets Laguna Beach (many of your are rolling your eyes, I know- I said it was ridiculous). The production quality gets better over the course of the show, and honestly you have to kind of wait out the first 6 episodes to really get into it. While not widely popular, it maintains a rabid cult-like fan following.
It was canceled quite abruptly at the end of it's 3rd season and so many questions went unanswered. For years there were rumors about a movie that would put all of our questions to rest but nothing ever came of it.
Enter Kickstarter campaign and you've got a movie being made! That's right- a plea was made for the rabid fan base to throw in 2 million and it surpassed it's goal in no time. So we all have something to look forward to in Spring 2014.
What does this have to do with my life in Asia? Well, a good friend who lived here before me sent me the first season on DVD for my birthday in 2006, and when I was raising my financial support to come to Asia, I broke down and watched it. Then upon arriving in Asia in the fall of 2007 it became a ritual to introduce my roommates to it each year.
I've seen the series at least three times all the way through and am thinking it is the perfect way to pass my time on the treadmill this spring. I can honestly say that I would not have gotten hooked on this quirky teenage drama living in the US, but the uniqueness of life abroad prevailed.
Whether it's random tv series or necessary cooking skills or activities that allow you to get out of the city, living abroad molds you and your interests in unexpected ways. What about my expat readers? Do any of you have hobbies or interests that you wouldn't have expected to pick up living abroad, but developed as a result of it? I would love to hear whether I'm the only one!
But what about the other interests that develop on the periphery due to living abroad? Often times things that we miss from our home culture become all the more pronounced. We need an escape when the host culture just rubs us the wrong way and the familiar is too far away. The usual outlets and things that fill our schedules in the US don't necessarily exist and sometimes we replace them with the unexpected.
Friends of mine who live out where I did my first 3 years in Asia have taken up dirt biking. They are quite out-doorsey to begin with, but something tells me if all the options that exist in the US were available, they might not have gotten into the sport. It's not particularly Asian or American, but it's their outlet and a way to explore and enjoy the world around them.
I'm not nearly as cool as they are and have always been prone to more indoor activities. What really triggered my thinking about this topic was all the buzz about the Veronica Mars movie kickstarter campaign.
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It was canceled quite abruptly at the end of it's 3rd season and so many questions went unanswered. For years there were rumors about a movie that would put all of our questions to rest but nothing ever came of it.
Enter Kickstarter campaign and you've got a movie being made! That's right- a plea was made for the rabid fan base to throw in 2 million and it surpassed it's goal in no time. So we all have something to look forward to in Spring 2014.
What does this have to do with my life in Asia? Well, a good friend who lived here before me sent me the first season on DVD for my birthday in 2006, and when I was raising my financial support to come to Asia, I broke down and watched it. Then upon arriving in Asia in the fall of 2007 it became a ritual to introduce my roommates to it each year.
I've seen the series at least three times all the way through and am thinking it is the perfect way to pass my time on the treadmill this spring. I can honestly say that I would not have gotten hooked on this quirky teenage drama living in the US, but the uniqueness of life abroad prevailed.
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