I disagree that it is the best way to go to museum to learn about certain country. Learning by historical remains can also be helpful to understand the culture and people of the country. However, I strongly believe that the gap between real experience and just seeing remnants is huge. In this regard, taking part in people's real life is better than wandering museum.
To begin with, enjoying local festival can be big help for grasping the country. Most of local festival or commemoration ritual is designed to inform other people about their important historical event or legendary stories related to local town. For example, tomato festival in Spain is the most famous event in Spain. This festival is derived from the protest of tomato farmers who annoyed by the price of tomato. By attending these kinds of festival, we can know more about the history of the country and also can enjoy it with others.
In addition, visiting historical remains in person is also way to comprehend the country. Just watching a little portion of old ruins is not very helpful. Visiting the real place and listen to the local guide is more efficient way. For example, I went to Denmark with my family when I was 11 years old. I went to museum which covered Shakespeare. I was able to watch many pieces of paper which he used in the past. However, when I went to the real house which Shakespeare once lived, I could know more about his environment because I could see his chair, his dining table, even his bed.
To sum up, Visiting historical place and attending local festival can be more effective methods of learning the country. There is a Korean proverb, 'experience for once is better than listening for 100 times'. It means that personal experience is more valuable than just indirect knowledge. |