Travel Communication: Laughing Through Lost in Translation

Travel Communication: Lost in Translation:

One thing I’ve learned from traveling is that if you don’t keep your sense of humour, you’re doomed. Seriously. If you can’t laugh at the ridiculous stuff that happens, you’re not going to make it.

Over the past few months, I’ve made some epic blunders. Nothing too serious, but definitely the kind of stuff that makes you go, “Well, that isn’t what I expected.

Let me tell you about my husband. Sweet guy, always thoughtful. He knows I love fresh flowers, so wherever we are in the world, he buys them for me. It’s lovely. The different flowers you find while traveling? Absolutely amazing.

So, we’re in Vietnam. He comes home from the market one day with this gigantic bunch of bright yellow chrysanthemums. Gorgeous. I’m thrilled. I split them up into two vases, one for the coffee table and one for the sideboard, and I’m feeling’ like a home decor genius. I even snapped a few pics for Facebook. People loved them. “Oh wow, your home looks so beautiful!”

Then, the next evening, I’m sitting with my Vietnamese teacher, feeling all proud of my floral arrangement, when he casually looks over and asks, “Why do you have worship flowers in your living room?”

Wait, what?

He goes on to explain that in Vietnam, chrysanthemums are used for… well, not exactly home decor. They’re more for altars and, you know, worship. So basically, I’d turned my living room into a spiritual shrine without even realising it.

Without missing a beat, I told him, “Well, obviously, my husband worships me.” We had a good laugh, but mental note: no more chrysanthemum centrepieces for the house. At least I wasn’t in Italy, where they’re considered death flowers you give when someone has died.

A few days later, I got invited to the grand opening of a new business. You’re supposed to bring flowers for luck. And yeah, after the whole chrysanthemum fiasco, I was not about to make the same mistake. So, I asked around, did some research, and ended up with a beautiful bunch of sunflowers and roses. Crisis averted. And the best part? It cost like, 25 dollars. Back home in Australia, something like that would’ve cost a small fortune.

My next mishap came when I ran out of skin moisturiser. Swimming every day in a salt and chlorine pool makes moisturiser essential for my dry skin. Off to the supermarket I went. I couldn’t find any in this large store, so I asked for assistance. A staff member took me to the right department and showed me many options. I chose to go with a known brand—Dove—and it was better value to buy the large size. Feeling accomplished, I headed home

Got home, took a shower, and after started slathering on the “moisturiser.” But it felt weird, like really thick and kind of sticky. It wouldn’t rub in, just turned white and sat on my skin like glue. But did I stop? No of course, not I had bought the large size bottle after all. I kept using it for three whole days before I finally grabbed my translator app and realised, I’d been moisturizing myself with body wash. Yes. Soap.

But it’s not just me; my husband had his own adventure. He needed deodorant while we were staying in Thailand.

So, there he was, in a Thai 7-Eleven, in desperate need of a deodorant refill. Once again, not a word in English on the products. He also decided to stick with a known brand—Nivea. But did the label say ‘antiperspirant’ or ‘deodorant’? No, not a hint.

And it came in a glass bottle, no less. Not exactly practical for a tiled bathroom floor. With a leap of faith, he picked up this mysterious potion named ‘Extra Brightening 8 Superfood’. What were these superfoods, and what were they supposed to do? Who knew armpits needed gourmet Treatment?

These kinds of things happen all the time when you’re travelling. You buy the wrong stuff, make cultural faux pas, and waste money on things you don’t need. But hey, it’s all part of the fun.

So, if there’s one thing I have learned, it’s to embrace the unexpected and keep laughing along the way. Love, MyLifestyle