Tourist by nationality

I have a strange feeling when I’m away in a foreign country on vacation…I feel I am a tourist by nationality. I have this odd connect with all people who are tourists, they could be Americans, Australians, French, Spanish or Japanese…we’re all there with our luggage, passports, maps and cameras… getting screened at airports, checking in at unfamiliar hotels, scanning restaurant menus for dishes of our choice, savouring the novelty of the surroundings, taking pictures, pictures and more pictures…walking, walking and walking more… learning, discovering and getting amazed. Like children on a school trip, obediently we follow the tour guide as he signals to form a group, ask him curious questions to know more, and check our watches to make sure we get back to the coach on time. We soak in the culture, sample local cuisines, take coffee breaks at roadside cafes, watching the locals go through their daily life. It’s a different world… our minds blissfully wipe out the routine and stresses of home and work… we’re just tourists living a touristy existence. We get lost on unknown streets, we find hidden treasures, we laugh, we wonder, we think, we discuss, we enjoy, we cherish, we drop off to sleep in exhaustion, we get up the next day refreshed and ready to walk the streets again. Energy levels are unbounded, the promise of a new adventure beckons every day!