Target and Tibet
It seems like Target is the next Magellan, in the vein of consumer-driven world discoveries.
Stuck at work due to typical developing world traffic and the threat of mini-riots (another story), I felt a bit of nostalgia for my days as a Target groupie. (That store is amazing. It has all the cheap tchotchkes and plastic flip flops one could ever hope for. I've spent far too many hours of my life there.)
Anyway, I'm online target.com dreaming about the next time I can lose myself in aisles of $5 synthetic skirts when I come across something I recognize. It was a weird deja-vu at first, staring at the colorful and funky $24.99 "Felted Wool Bubblegum Bag" on my screen, when I make the connection -- I saw and bought that exact same "Felted Wool Bubblegum" purse in Kathmandu, Nepal!
I have no idea how Target extended its tentacles of globalization to reach even the highest Himalayan peaks to source the locally made and neon- dyed Mountain Yak-hair purses. But that kind of resourcefulness has to be respected to some degree.
Plus, I want that job. I can travel, I can find random "ethnic" accessories!
Here's the purse: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_15/602-8568787-9215028?ie=UTF8&asin=B000HBQZZQ&frombrowse=1
It's not too photogenic.... much better looking in person.
I also remember when I was in Nepal, temporarily lost in a remote trekker's paradise township bounded by Tibetan refuge settlement camps, I met a really friendly Tibetan woman. We were both lounging on a patch of rough, twiggy grass by the lake. She was on a break from hawking her Tibetan handicrafts to tourists on the street, and I had nothing better to do since I couldn't find my travel companions with the hotel key.
(the rest for later! have to run)
Stuck at work due to typical developing world traffic and the threat of mini-riots (another story), I felt a bit of nostalgia for my days as a Target groupie. (That store is amazing. It has all the cheap tchotchkes and plastic flip flops one could ever hope for. I've spent far too many hours of my life there.)
Anyway, I'm online target.com dreaming about the next time I can lose myself in aisles of $5 synthetic skirts when I come across something I recognize. It was a weird deja-vu at first, staring at the colorful and funky $24.99 "Felted Wool Bubblegum Bag" on my screen, when I make the connection -- I saw and bought that exact same "Felted Wool Bubblegum" purse in Kathmandu, Nepal!
I have no idea how Target extended its tentacles of globalization to reach even the highest Himalayan peaks to source the locally made and neon- dyed Mountain Yak-hair purses. But that kind of resourcefulness has to be respected to some degree.
Plus, I want that job. I can travel, I can find random "ethnic" accessories!
Here's the purse: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_15/602-8568787-9215028?ie=UTF8&asin=B000HBQZZQ&frombrowse=1
It's not too photogenic.... much better looking in person.
I also remember when I was in Nepal, temporarily lost in a remote trekker's paradise township bounded by Tibetan refuge settlement camps, I met a really friendly Tibetan woman. We were both lounging on a patch of rough, twiggy grass by the lake. She was on a break from hawking her Tibetan handicrafts to tourists on the street, and I had nothing better to do since I couldn't find my travel companions with the hotel key.
(the rest for later! have to run)
posted by Laura | 4:22 AM
4 Comments:
I understand your shock at finding the same souvenir on a tar-jay website that you had thought was your unique reward for for having not only trekked through several countries, but also for having withstood several rounds of immunizations and inumerable sketchy toilet facilities. Not fair! I already suffered that dismay when I found the ganeshes from our trip to Tamil Nadu displayed three deep at the Tar-jay just 1.5 miles away. However, the satisfaction of finding the items at their source still trumps the commerciality of the global chotch-ski market, no?
forget hours of my life, what about all the dollars of my paycheck I spend there?!?! I might as well have the direct deposit go straight to target
Dear Laura,
We'd love you to list your expat blog on our new website, to help us build a great resource for all women living overseas.
Please take a look at our site at: www.ExpatWomen.com.
Thanks,
April.
Hey laura,
Came here from the expat blog listing. If you know any hindi, I am sure you understand why i find "laura galore' hilarious. Was it a pun on bangalore or a pun on the 'lauda'?
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