So who is Den Den? My second attempt at introducing myself without boring you to death
So who is Den Den? My (second) attempt at introducing myself without boring you to death
So…who the hell is Den Den…a.k.a. me, Denise Pulis, and author of The Art of Slow Travel.com. I need to be careful with this, as the main objective of this section is to make sure I don’t cause you to emit that little stream of god-this-is-so-boring zzzzz as portrayed so brilliantly in Japanese cartoons. So I’ll keep it short, and keep it travel-connected.
Basically , I never travelled until age 21. By travelled, I really mean never ‘travelled’, i.e. set out, to discover things, sight-see, tour and so on and so forth. Not even within my country. This is because while most of you come from a big, or big(ger) country (or continent), I come from the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta, which is so small that you can drive across it in 50 minutes, and this is including a bit of traffic. My parents never had enough money to take themselves, my sister and I on holiday (remember this was the time before low cost airlines), because they were busy making sure we were properly fed, clothed and educated (though given my sister’s weird sense of fashion at the time, they might have failed in one of these points).
It was only at 21 that 1. I had no university debts left to pay 2. I had saved a bit of money from my first part-time job, and so I did set foot on my first ever plane bound to not-really-adventurous London…but we’ve all got to start somewhere, right?
Like many of you, I soon decided that I wanted to travel extensively. Still very much travel unsavy, I worked long hours and saved for an (at the time) expensive flight to Panama City, where a friend had offered to host me in her house in return for someone to speak to in English. The trip would last two months and I was ecstatic. But when I arrived at London Gatwick (I had booked the Malta-London, London-Panama sections of the flight separately), I was not allowed on the plane (which would transit through the US), because while I had triple-checked the visa requirements for Panama, I had been completely oblivious to the fact that I needed a US transit visa for 2 hours in an American airport. As this was before visa-waiver programmes, I couldn’t get the visa from London without maybe spending a month there, so I had no choice but to return home like a complete idiot and lose my ticket money.
Once again, I worked and worked for over a year until I had enough money to start dreaming again. This time I booked myself a one-month stay in Seoul, South Korea, where I had plenty of friends. Thank God, this time I made it (though I wanted to kill the bloody ground hostess when she looked at my ticket and passport at check-in and said something like ‘You might need a visa’, which I was pretty sure I didn’t). I loved it, and it was then that I decided I wanted to live, work and travel in South Korea…
…but this turned out not to be possible. I did not, alas, have one of those seven passports which the South Korean government grants teaching visas to, and it didn’t matter that I was also a native-speaker of English, had two degrees in the subject, and had been teaching for three years. Now, though, I was determined to leave. I wanted to travel the world long-term. I started looking for jobs in Japan and China, but my nationality was always a problem. I even started considering a Working Holiday Visa to Australia, which was easy to get, but which would eventually send me flying back home, which I didn’t want.
And then I met Feri (this is the cheesy, super romantic part, so brace yourself), and I fell head over heels in love. Hungarian by blood, but also Swiss by passport, he somehow convinced me to move to Switzerland, a country totally towards which I was totally indifferent. I’ve had some strong love-hate moments with this complicated country, but being in the heart of Europe gave me the opportunity to see a bit of this fascinating continent via short and affordable flights; Istanbul, London again, Amsterdam, and beautiful Budapest.
But my heart is still calling me East, and Feri and I, after managing to get our hands on a permanent visa to Australia, are going to be moving to Melbourne in April 2012…after 2 months travelling around Vietnam and Singapore. As you can see, I travel slowly, and I do not have a jealousy-inducing-to-the-extent-of-hair-pulling ’Where I’ve been’ map, but if you care to hang around for a while on this seriously long-term blog, there are many stories I wish to share with you, and many countries to describe to you, not in the thin, veneer-like manner of a passing visitor, but hopefully in more depth, enough to inspire you to explore them yourself.
Update: Yes, I made it to Melbourne!!!
***
If I managed not to bore you to death, and you would like to read more ‘personal’ articles, here you go:
About me related articles:
What I hate about Travel Blogging nowadays: It’s rant time
Live update from Australia: When everything starts falling into place
-Text and Photography by Denise Pulis @ www.theartofslowtravel.com
15 Comments → “So who is Den Den? My second attempt at introducing myself without boring you to death”
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So sweet to get to know you a bît better
Lovely post!
Good luck for your permant visa to Australia – how exciting is this!!! Looking forward to hear more about this adventure ahead of you!
Happy Monday to Zurich
Hi Kristina,
Thanks for the good wishes. If we do get the visa, the move will happen via a long trip in Vietnam!
Happy Monday to Bern
Denise
Yay for travel, wherever and whenever
But Denise, you seem to think that travel is not worth the effort unless it’s a long stay. We can’t all leave our homes and jobs for months on end, does that mean we shouldn’t even try?
I have experienced both trips and long stays as an expat, and I think both give you an interesting perspective on the places you visit.
Hi Elisa,
You are absolutely right, and I have, of course, travellled for short periods of time ( 4 days/ one week) in destinations I was interested in but not ‘in love with’ if you know what I mean. However, in my case I wanted to make travel a sort of perpetual lifestyle. I didn’t want to do this through a round the world trip, so instead I’m trying to do it by changing country (and continent) every few years. For example, even if I’ve been here in Switzerland for almost 2 years now, it still feels to me like I’m travelling here, as I keep discovering new things. I guess I’m also particular in that I don’t have a strong sense of ‘home’. For me, my home country is not ‘home’. My loved ones are scattered around the world, and ‘home’ for me is simply a place I find myself in for a long period of time.
To put it another way, I know that for some people travelling is not that important, and I understand that. But there are a lot of people out there who really want to travel long term and see the world, but they do it in the wrong way, by trying to pack too much in short trips.
How long have you been in Zurich?
Well, approaching travel on shorter term (10 days/2 weeks) doesn’t mean travel isn’t important to that person. It feels like you are passing judgement and saying that your way is the right way and everyone else is doing it wrong, but it’s so subjective, isn’t it?
I too don’t feel like I have a “home” per se, probably because I left home at 17, or because I am a “serial expat”; but as a mom, I also feel I have a duty to give my kids some stability, so moving around all the time for short-term expat stays isn’t really something I’d want to do. However I do understand where you are coming from, and I think it must be incredibly fun!
We came back to Zurich almost 2 years ago, but I had been here before moving to New York; that’s where both of my daughters were born. And I, like you, am still discovering places and corners and approaching it like a constant exploration!
But I still like to go visit other places, because getting a peek into other lives and cultures and architectural styles and all is still an amazing experience, no matter if it isn’t a “full immersion” one. One those times, I like to skip the tourist tours and make our own way through the city/place. Often you’ll get lost, but find really lovely places. And besides, isn’t that what maps are for? Knowing how to get back to the hotel/apartment
Oh you’re absolutely right. I guess the only thing I was trying to say is that there is a difference between spending 7-10 days in a city (which is a good amount of time to get a real feel of the place) and spending 7-10 trying to travel all around a huge country such as Japan or China, just to say that one has been there. I understand why people feel they want to do this, but then I also think you’ll just ‘see’ stuff like this, rather than experience.
Everything changes when you have children. When I have a child I will feel like it’s my responsibility to have a more settled lifestyle, I am quite sure about that.
For me, a ‘full immersion’ is one where you make an effort to understand a place rather than just opt for a ‘tick-off the list of attractions on my guidebook’ trip.
My opinions are only my own, and I do not force them on anyone
. This blog is meant to be entertaining and also thought-provoking, in that I wish it to make readers think about ‘travel’ and its value, as many seem to consider it as simply being another commodity, purchasable and dispensable, amongst many.
Oh, you mean “fast food” travel? You find me completely in agreement with that. I prefer to spend 10 days in the same city/town/area and walk around exploring without stressing and without having to check things off my list
Yes, that’s exactly what I mean (I’m sorry if it came across differently). So by ‘slow travel’ I mean that the time spent in a destination should fit its scope. If you have one day somewhere, you focus on a very narrow topic or area. If you have a week, you focus on one city, not an entire country. If you have a month, you explore one country, not try to do a whirlwind tour through several.
Then again, this is strickly the sort of travel I find rewarding, and I’m sure that people who feel the need to see a lot in a short period of time have their own arguments and reasons.
Hey,
Just wanted to send you a quick message to let you know just how much I have enjoyed reading your blog. I really love the layout and the photography, and think that the idea of ‘slow travel’ is fantastic. I’ve seen so ‘popular’ bloggers write about countries they’ve only visisted for a week with the most bland and dull descriptions, and I appreciate someone who takes the time to get to know a country better, and take traveling at a more relaxed pace. I’m a big believer that traveling is not all about ticking countries off a list, but about seeking out new and enriching experiences, and taking time to really learn about a country and its culture. It’s nice to finally find someone who feels the same!
Congrats on your blog, and you might be interested to know that I’ve added you to my ‘best of the best’ list on my blog. You can check it out here if you want to: http://www.girlandtheworld.org/useful-websites/
Looking forward to reading more of your posts, and I’m going to subscribe to your blog now
All the best,
Natalie
Hi!
I just found out about your blog yesterday and I instantly became a fan 
i really love your writing style.
Love from the Philippines ♥
Hi Tria!
Thank you for the lovely comment. I’m flattered
Are you still in Singapore??? Haha, I’m Singaporean and I would love to meet up with you slow people.
Anyway, it’s really a nice thing to travel slowly. I’ve never really liked to go around and rush traveling and see all the marquee sights in town(though some deserved their reputations!) I think one person that opened my eyes to traveling alone and doing as you wish is Jan Haag. You can Google her, and you might like her too.
Let me know!
Hi Chia,
Unfortunately, I left Singapore about two weeks ago and am now in Australia. Do you have any suggestions for people visiting Singapore slowly? Wow I miss Singapore. It’s one of the best places I’ve visited so far. I’ll also google Jan Haag as soon as I have a minute.
Thanks for commenting!
Your blog is very inspiring; I like your approach and the way you tell stories! The banner on my blog is actually a photo I took in Malta
I visited your country a few years ago, and I’d love to go back one day!
Sounds like quite a lot of travel – I’m jealous. I was actually considering working in Malta for a year, but I ended up in London. Still managed to take a 10 day holiday there
Photos on the website.