I have a confession. I am hooked on foreign TV shows. I have Comcast Cable and I was searching for something different during my many bouts of insomnia. I happened on a show called “The Mafia Only Kills in Summer” and was so involved in the first two episodes, that I began to watch the other series that were offered on WPPT. I wrote about “Mafia Only Kills in Summer here.
The series are produced in different countries, but even though I don’t speak the languages, I can follow easily because of subtitles. My favorite detective show is from Sicily, called Detective Montalbano. It’s a little bit like Columbo and Monk tossed together with delightful scenery from Sicily.
Beck is produced in Sweden and is a little bit more hardcore with Detective Martin Beck and his team dealing with homicides and personal problems. It’s more like NYPD
Turkish For Beginners is a comedy about a German woman and her two children who moves in with an Turish man and his two children. It’s like the Brady Bunch, but more suggestive, and covers topics dealing with cross-cultural experiences.
In between the shows that you get treated to a tour of different countries and what they have to offer in foods, wines, fashions, and so on. These little pop ups are a way to learn about the culture of places you might not have the chance to visit.
Conclusion
The one thing I have learned since I began traveling overseas at the ripe of age of 70-years-young is that the people in Europe (I have only been to parts of Italy and Greece) are more global than Americans. They travel more easily between countries to work and vacation, and so they are more liberal in their understanding of other cultures. I realize that there are plenty of Americans who travel abroad, but for us, it’s more expensive. We have to fly…in cramped seats and for long hours. Europeans usually will drive or take trains. It’s easier for them to take a holiday.
Watching WPPT on cable gives me a chance to see the world from the comfort of my home, and it gives me and idea of where I want to travel next. Most importantly, I have begun to think of people living outside of the United States as neighbors.
This is a small globe with billions of humans sharing the same air, ocean, and Sun. I think it would make for a better world if we all acted like the neighbors we truly are
gilbertspeaks 
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