Storyteller Brian Cicioni | I May Roam Travel, Music & Food Tours
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
Today’s Culture with Travel interview is with Brian Cicioni of I May Roam Travel, Music & Food Tours. Since childhood, Brian always loved travel… In fact, one friend nicknamed him “the walking map.” Today, he’ve visited 38 countries spanning five continents and visited 49 of our 50 states.
Tell us a bit about yourself! Why do you love travel? How do you think travel unites us or teaches us more about the world?
I was born in Eastern Pennsylvania, near the Pocono Mountains. As soon as I got my driver’s license, I started going to see my favorite rock bands. My initial love for travel came from a natural curiosity I have about the world as well as my love for music. The first time I visited London, I was excited to visit the city where The Clash came from. In my early teen years, I looked at concert shirts, and thought about how I would see all those places someday; especially cities in Europe and Japan.
If you travel with an open mind, you’ll realize that our similarities outweigh our differences. Furthermore, the world is not as dangerous as the news can lead you to believe. After 17 years of travel, I still do “touristy” things, but I try to also experience places like a local. I try to use public transit rather than rent a car. My trips tend to be short, so I try to think about what is unique to a particular area and focus on that.
What surprising aspect of culture do you love about where you’re from that travelers may not be aware of?
Before I got my driver’s license, I was a borderline-obsessive baseball fan. The height of my fandom was when I played Little League, which was invented in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Little League World Series is still held there every year.
Which dish do you feel best represents where you’re specifically from? Share a picture and tell us why you love it!
My great grandparents came from Southern Italy, so I’d say pizza. After visiting 48 different countries, it’s still my favorite thing to eat.
Share about a custom/tradition you observe, and talk about the role of family in your life. What does family mean to you?
Although I was born in the United States, I knew my roots going back to my earliest memories. Both of my grandfathers traveled to Italy frequently. I was too young to join them on those trips, but I’ve always done my best to keep in touch with my family there.
Art and dance can tell a deeper story about local culture. Tell us the story of a specific artwork or dance that has a meaning for you. Share a photo, if you can. (i.e. street art, festivals, paintings, architecture, woven artwork, a family heirloom, etc.)
I’m not one of those people who spends hours in art museums, but the older I get, the more I love street art. Two places that come to mind are Penang and Brooklyn. As a music fan, the Joey Ramone and Joe Strummer murals in Lower Manhattan were my personal favorites. Although I never had a chance to meet either one of them, I used to get chills when I walked past them (the murals are not there anymore). Sometimes people you never meet can have a greater impact on you than people you see every day.
Languages not only give us the power to communicate but also can unite us across cultures. Share a favorite saying you have, or teach us something in your native language.
English is my native language, but before I visit another country, I always try to learn some basic expressions. Saying “hello” in the local language tends to be an ideal icebreaker, especially in a country where nobody expects an obvious tourist to know any local phrases.
Have you ever met a stranger during your travels who made an impact on your life in a certain way, or maybe it was you who helped someone else? Share the story!
In my bedroom, I have a map with pins in all the locations I’ve visited. I often look at that map, and have “where are they now” moments. One particular one was a Turkish family, who owned a cave near Goreme, which I slept in back in 2010. The first evening, the family invited me into their living room to watch Turkish cartoons. There were no subtitles, and I couldn’t understand the show, but I felt like it was the most authentic experience of that part of my trip.
Follow Brian’s travels on I May Roam, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
