Postcards of the world..

Posted by MsMerising on July 7th, 2008 | Categorized as General Forum | Tagged as fetishes, flakey family members, postcards, travel | 267 views and 16 Comments

My parents, God bless them, are currently “on tour” through Europe. Though my sister lives in London and I live in Los Angeles they decided to see neither of us and do what they like to do - kinda like how we do lol

So anyway, I said to my parents “Look - if you refuse to make the effort to see your daughter & grandchild could you at least send me a postcard from everywhere you go?” Lo and behold, within 7 days we have received 10 postcards! Croatia, Italy, France, Spain & Portugal - and they are not heading back to Australia for another 4 weeks!

The writing style for the first 2 postcards were so blah I lost my mind. What the hell’s wrong with this woman I screamed in my head, while shaking my hands like a stereotypical passionate “Ethnic”. But mama is warming to the spirit of travel and now at least the few sentences jotted on these pieces of photographic cardboard convey her dry, hot-tempered personality.

Enough of Europe. My boss just arrived back from Colombia last night. I demanded a postcard from his travels too. He was unable to track down a stamp but he bought one and wrote on it. Now all I have to do is get my greedy little hands on it so I can vicariously experience a slice of Latina life & spirit seeping through the paper-pores of these postcards. Now he is obsessively parlaying with every client who is from South America in a quest to get them to be his clients in Colombia because he now wants to move there (his friend from Florida called his office and told them he’d be back when he felt like it!).

My sister, God bless her, spends most of the time travelling yet never sends a damn postcard. She buys us gifts she never mails (and guilt-ridden emails lamenting this fact lol) but from hereon I am demanding she spend a dollar on her sister & nephew. If I did, I would have received over 40 postcards from different countries in the last 4 years alone!

Anyone who desires to share there own lil’ piece of obsession over travel souvenirs (especially postcards) feel free to contribute to this thread!

I identify with the term "Cross-Cultural Kid". Born of Croatian parents, I am the first-generation born outside the "homeland". Being viewed as "Ethnic" in Australia was socially isolating and being moved to more "Anglo" places with every move was very difficult. Moved to Canada when I was 19. My real formative years. Going back to Australia when I was 22 was traumatic. One year later I moved to America where I have been since 2003... I have never lived in a place more than 5 years at a time. I have been asked "where are you from" since as far as I can remember. My accent changes subconsciously in different groups of people. I am not bi-lingual but I pick up languages quickly. I have diverse interests which makes people think I am weird (c'mon, you know you relate lol). I relate to minorities quickly and know many other's peoples customs, culture etc yet am always viewed as an outsider because I also am a minority wherever I go (usually living in minority neighbourhoods where Croatian-Australians do not reside lol). I usually find anyone I form a bond with is also a Cross-Cultural Kid or come from a family that is politically active with a global mindset. I am looking to meet new friends and maybe for once feeling I belong somewhere.. Peace, M