Five Ways to Immerse Yourself in Culture

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In today’s world everything moves so fast and there are so many hurdles to overcome – it’s so easy to overlook the little things that can enlighten us and enchant our daily lives. I love being intellectual; it’s truly one of my favorite things. I love immersing myself in culture and stimulating my mind. It can be as simple as watching a British mystery show to reading about foreign traditions; there’s always something to catch my attention from stopping to simply engage in cultural activities. So I thought I’d share a few of my favorite ways to get away from immediate life and gain a better understanding of the world through media and the arts.

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01. Watch a foreign film

While there are plenty of native films that take place in foreign countries, with those you risk the potential of an idealized version of the country it’s set in. I always find myself most drawn into another country’s culture through their own film-making, when their lifestyle isn’t a central part of the story but rather an organic constituent the likes of which could probably be forgotten by the filmmakers if not for the necessity of it. Here are a few of my favorites…

Le fils de l’épicier, also known as The Grocer’s Son, is a quietly charming French film about a young man living in the city who is forced to return to the humdrum countryside of his youth to maintain his ailing father’s business as a traveling grocer. So simple, but with such a stellar message. Second is Sukkar banat, or Caramel, a Lebanese film about the power of women and the strength of friendship. It’s sentimental and at times laugh-out-loud funny, all while maintaining an even and honest tone. And Anthony Zimmer is another French film that I love, though of a completely different pace. if you’re familiar with the recent Johnny Depp film The Tourist you’ll already know the story – that was a remake of this film, and while The Tourist was more along the lines of a comedic adventure like Fool’s Gold, Anthony Zimmer is more like a French take on the Jason Bourne movies. It’s a languid and thrilling film with top-notch performances.

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02. Attend an opera or symphony

Normally operas and symphonies are considered stuffy or uninteresting; I think that’s the biggest misconception imaginable of any art. My first opera was Carmen, and it was nearly four hours of fascinating insight into a world I’d never really known before. Subtitles are typically projected above the stage, and since I’ve become used to subtitles from the foreign films I watch that wasn’t much of a deterrent for me, but if that doesn’t sound like your speed there are a lot of English-language operas and operettas as well. The Merry Widow, for example, is one I’ve wanted to see. As for the symphony, I like to think of it as wine next to opera’s more exciting coffee, but it’s nevertheless a wonderful event to attend as well. If you have an interest in music, attending a symphony or even a quartet gives you the opportunity to actually see the art of playing an instrument in more detail. It’s quite fascinating, really.

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03. Read a memoir, biography or travelogue

Learning about different cultures through the experiences of others can broaden your horizons in a substantial way and allows you a look into countries you may not have the funds (or even the interest) to visit for yourself. Eat, Pray, Love was perhaps the first memoir I ever read; I loved the mix of settings – Italy, India and Indonesia – and how tangible the different countries became through Elizabeth Gilbert’s narrative. Likewise, travelogues such as Paul Bowles’s writings can offer insight into different countries. Three Cups of Tea is a memoir I’m looking forward to reading in the future, as well as Reading Lolita in Tehran.

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04. Visit an art museum

I always think there’s an area of art for every personality; you just have to find yours. If you love art or even if you just moderately enjoy it without ever really thinking about it, you will always find something new about yourself when you visit a museum. The Art Institute of Chicago has a fabulous collection, and although I went with only an interest in the Impressionist selection (stunning, by the way) I can still remember how stricken I was by several of the pieces in the modern wing. I’ve never liked modern art, I never understood it, but sometimes it’s not about understanding it. As Henry David Thoreau said, “It’s not what you look at that matters; it’s what you see.”

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05. Listen to a lecture

I have several lectures of varying genres housed on my iPod from The Teaching Company and I just love them! I have one on the history of Impressionism, one on the life and times of King Henry VIII, one on twentieth century American fiction, etc. If you have a passion – or an interest, or even just the seed of an interest – you’ll likely enjoy a lecture on the subject. Not only will you be able to spend time invested in something you love, but you’ll learn even more from it. Learning can be incredibly fun when the subject is something you’re truly interested in. And who knows, you could attend or listen to a lecture on a whim, something you’re only vaguely familiar with, only to watch it blossom into a whole new interest in your life.

With anything cultural, it becomes about experiencing something new to you and devoting yourself to seeing the uniqueness of the art around you. Maybe popping into a library, maybe trying a new genre of television or – one of my favorites – reading blogs will pique your interest in something new. The beauty of intellect in life is that there really are no limitations; you can pursue any topic that catches your fancy and if you lose interest along the way, why not start over and find something new?

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Tagged as: art, books, culture, lifestyle, music