Many times. Parochial bloody list. But I can’t think what a good version of this activity ought to be for people who don’t live in Europe. Been in the Statue of Liberty’s head? Had your supper stolen by a gull at the Sydney Opera House? Walked across the Grand Coolee Dam? That’s the odd thing about other people’s lives compared to one’s own. Their humdrum is potentially my exotic, and vice versa. I’ve never really understood that thing about walking a mile (or five) in another man’s moccasins, but doing his daily chores might be interesting, at least for a while.
TID 38: Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
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Hmm. I have walked on the Great Wall of China, seen the pyramids, been in the Statue of Liberty (but not the head), visited the Sydney Opera House, Taj Mahal, the Empire State Building and a hundred other places but NOT the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Grand Coolee Dam. The landmark I usually can’t check off is Christ over Rio.
I’d rather be in my own shoes than those of any of the builders of most of these. One thing that surprised me was the complete lack of graffiti inside the broken Chinese warriors. Then I realized that the poor slaves probably couldn’t write even a word.
Changing shoes and following instructions for half a day was the most fun thing I ever did professionally. It gave people an insight into other jobs even if they couldn’t REALLY do them and it changed their working relations for the better thereafter. Too long a story for here. But, like those wife swap programs… everyone glad to get back “home” afterwards and definitely having learned something.
Google “Blood Sweat and Takeaways” for tales of some salutary life swapping from BBC 3 recently. I couldn’t watch more than the first but happily they did seem to be life changing.