Travel & Transport — C1 English Lesson

Welcome back to Word Kitchen, everyone. I'm Maya.

Oh, my uncle's peregrination? He always laughs when I call it that. He says it was just a long holiday, but honestly, it was a proper peregrination, six months on the road through Central Asia with nothing but a backpack and a paper map.

He started in Istanbul, crossed through Georgia and Armenia, then took this wonderfully circuitous route across the steppe. I mean, it was a circuitous route on purpose, because he wanted to avoid the tourist trail. He said the circuitous route always shows you the real country.

There was a loose plan, but he kept changing it. That's the thing about a real peregrination, you have to let the road decide. He told me the peregrination changed how he thinks about home, which sounds dramatic, but I believe him.

Three months! That's a real sojourn, not a vacation. What did a typical day look like during your sojourn?

That's beautiful. And now you're fully peripatetic, aren't you? I mean, you've been peripatetic for two years now, never in one city more than a couple of months.

I get it. There's something addictive about being peripatetic, always arriving, always leaving. Though I couldn't be peripatetic forever. I'd miss my books.

The diaspora story is so common and so powerful. Every diaspora has its own flavor of homesickness. Do you think the diaspora bond gets weaker with each generation?

That's lovely. My neighbor is an émigré from Poland, and she has this fascinating double perspective. As an émigré, she sees her new country with completely fresh eyes.

It's a strange, rich identity. She told me the hardest part of being an émigré wasn't the language, it was the small talk at parties. An émigré never quite knows which jokes will land.

A circuitous bus ride through the desert sounds like a nightmare and a dream at once. Did you mind the circuitous detour?

That reminds me of what people call an odyssey. Not just a trip, but an odyssey, something that tests you and changes you. My uncle calls his Central Asia trip his odyssey, half joking, half serious.

Eleven days on a cargo ship! That's a genuine odyssey. Did the odyssey feel long, or did you settle into the rhythm?

Now, a warning for travellers. In some places, you can get waylaid, literally. Pickpockets and scammers try to waylay tourists near every major station in Europe. They waylay you with a friendly question, and while you're distracted, your bag is gone.

My uncle said the only time he felt unsafe on his whole peregrination was when two men tried to waylay him outside a night market. He just kept walking and talking loudly, and they gave up. Never let anyone waylay you into a quiet side street, that's his rule.

Embarkation is pure excitement. I love watching the embarkation process, the families waving, the crew calling out. A smooth embarkation sets the tone for the whole trip.

The best part of a long voyage, though, is the disembark. After days at sea, to disembark onto solid ground feels like a small miracle. I'll never forget the morning we got to disembark in Alexandria.

And then the journey continues. My uncle always says the real journey starts after you disembark, when the postcards stop and real life resumes. To disembark is easy, to arrive is the hard part.

And the diaspora is movement that becomes identity. An émigré carries two worlds. A circuitous route teaches patience. An odyssey transforms you.

Me too. So here's my challenge to our listeners. Pick one of these words and use it this week. Tell someone about your own sojourn, however small. Or admit that your commute feels like an odyssey some mornings.

Words to live by. Actually, Lena, before the recap, let's do something fun. Lightning round. I'll throw out a situation, you match the word. Ready?

You spend a month in a mountain cabin, writing, cooking, watching the snow. What is that?

A friend quits her job, sells everything, and now teaches yoga in a different country every season.

Your cousin's grandparents left their homeland decades ago, and now the family reunion needs a stadium.

You board a ferry at dawn, the horn sounds, the ropes come off.

Mine is odyssey. Because every hard, wonderful journey deserves to be called an odyssey at least once. And listeners, that little game is yours to steal. Play it on your next long drive or your next circuitous train ride.

Before we go, let's do a quick recap. A peregrination is a long wandering journey. A sojourn is a temporary stay. Peripatetic describes someone always on the move.

An odyssey is an epic, transformative journey. To waylay is to intercept or ambush someone on their way. Embarkation is boarding a ship or plane, and to disembark is to step off at the end.

See you next time on Word Kitchen. Bye, everyone.