Apr 13 2009
Occupational Hazard -or- The Travel Bug
Where To Go When --by Joseph Rosendo
At least one customer a week asks, “Isn’t it difficult to work in a place like this? Don’t you just want to go everywhere?” The answer, invariably: “Yes.”
I think it’s fair to say that all of us have a nearly constant and always ferocious case of the travel bug. The fierce desire to be on the move, exploring new lands is a definite occupational hazard of working at the Globe Corner. The bug can strike at any time. The sudden urge to run away to Italy for a month comes on while chatting to a customer about the architecture of Venice. Gondolas, wine, a brief but passionate affair with someone who looks not unlike Furio from “The Sopranos”!
One well-traveled employee picks up guide books about her favorite Eastern European destinations and frequently calls out something like, “It’s Alexsandar! Look – I know this guy! He’s my favorite bartender in Dubrovnik. And here’s Drazan: my favorite fruit vendor!” We all smile tightly in jealousy, knowing she is planning her next trip to Croatia in her head; one that will no doubt become a reality soon. But the travel bug has bitten her, too, and her impatience is palpable.
Often when a customer comes in looking for anything on Africa, one of my coworkers leaps to attention and leads her to the right section. Afterwards he reminisces about his last trip to Ghana, jumps on the internet to find new means of getting back there, then runs in the back room to put on the Orchestra Baobab CD. Then the dancing commences.
Sometimes the bug bites unexpectedly, without rhyme or reason. I have often found myself wandering the store on a rainy day, checking to make sure shelves are stocked, when suddenly I must go everywhere. I hear the call of the road – and the screech of an eagle – and need to drive up the Alaskan Highway. I swing by the Ireland section and have the sudden urge to trace my heritage across the country. Pushing a book into the Southeast Asia section I instantly want to return to Thailand.
It’s time to go.
Read more: Africa, Croatia, Globe Corner Bookstore, Travel, Travel BugLlalan specializes in all things Ohio, but has funny stories from all over the US and Canada, plus a few snort-inducing ones from Thailand. And not only does she read books from around the world, she also samples beers in as many languages as possible. Favorite style: the multi-national American Double IPA.
