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Saturday, January 13, 2007In our ever changing global world where borders and boundaries mean less and less we have entered a almost complete global network of communications. Not only of communications but of friendship, love and relationships. The fact that for example the United Kingdom is seperated by the thousands of miles of the Atlantic means little now. For example my good friend in Wales who means so much typing in his instant messaging window perhaps 3,000 or 5,000 km away depending where I am in Canada means nothing. I get his message delivered instantaneously. If we want to exchange pictures of each other it is exchanged instantly. We can email and chat however much we want as long as we want at absolutely no charge. To be able to do this is exceptional, men has come so far, we have created what was once a massive globe that meant communication could not happen between borders at all to this. To where we stand now where you can email anyone on the planet with a Internet access and a email address. ' I have long been intensely interested in foreign affairs and international travel and tourism. I would pick up atlases, books and read and study countries, cities and far flung locales. To learn all about a nation, whether it had 1 billion or less than 1 million people it mattered not. Size doesn't matter in essence with countries, it's all about culture and their environment. The way people grow up is affected by their environment, their customs and beliefs. All of this is a direct result of their country, city, village where they grew up. Esentially the interpretation of our wide world is open to interpretation, it is a blank canvass that needs to be perceived by us, its citizens. When I travel which has now included 7 countries in Asia, North America and Europe I have not only climbed the Eiffel Tower, seen the ancient Japanese temples, gazed upon the Mexican rainforests I have experienced the people.  Experiencing people is one of the largest and most poignant messages that both international travel and foriegn friendship affects. Taken alone they each have an affect, taken together and you have someone who can truly look at and understand the world. The way the French, Japanese and Mexicans act and present themselves is as much as a treasure as it is to experience their country. You don't just remember the resort, the quaint shopping streets, the monuments you visited. You remember the people, we are now approximately 6.5 billion inhabitaing our earth, this is immense and grows every second. For us to be together, to understand accept one another we must have that mutual understanding. Through the award winning teen newspaper The Tattoo that is based in Connecticut I have spoken to those in 19 nations in Asia,North America including the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Oceania. What does this mean? It means more than I know how the Welsh accent sounds, what the typical weather is in western Australia is or what festivals are celebrated and when in Calcutta, India. I have learned a treasure chest about their culture and countries. Most of all however I have learned their attitudes are affected by these events, places and celebrations. There is the barrier of not being face to face but we do have web cameras, email, instant messaging and much lower long distance calling rates than ever seen previously in the past.  To receive emails from USA, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Wales and Japan has broadned by mental reach imesurabely. If you just know your town, your corner of the world and do not reach out you are missing out on opportunities the size of the planet. The beauty, the absolute sheer magic of it all never ends. I have met some of the closest people who play a unbelievable role in my life not here, but from here with them from afar. I have met many and will be meeting more upcoming in the United Kingdom as well as a German girl in her native land for real. To finally give my Welsh friend, my American friends, my global friends that hug that bear hug is a thing of true beauty, it's a piece of my soul. I am not friends with Canadians, I am friends with the whole wide world! God bless you all!Teague Neal blogged on 5:56 PM
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Teague Neal |