I appeared to be one of two individuals who joined the Free Walking Tour of the Freedom Trail in Boston on a cold rainy day in April 2019. It felt natural that the other “single,” a woman named Michal from Israel, and I would begin talking to one another. She had a PhD in computer science with a specialization in bio-informatics and was awarded a trip to Boston to attend a conference in her area of expertise after winning a competition that she referred to as “a challenge.”
I felt like I was redeeming a miserable weather day into something fun and instructive even though touring under an umbrella was not ideal.
I enjoyed learning a little about Michal. Her husband disliked guided tours and would hate the one we were doing. Her four children who ranged in age from 5 to 17 might like it except for her 13 year old daughter who was primarily interested in shopping.
What I discovered from Michal was that she was clueless about the frame of reference of many of the sites we were visiting and the guide did not provide context. She compared our American guide with a British guide she had had in Manchester, England who explained the back stories of what they were seeing. He had been sensitive to his international audience. Although it sounded like the majority of our fellow tourists were not Americans, our guide did not elaborate upon the people and places he described in a way to make them understandable. Viewing the tour from Michal’s perspective was a useful way for me to walk in another’s shoes—something I often find to be valuable.
Our both being Jewish also helped cement our feeling of having things in common.
