A genuine odyssey is not about piling up experiences. It is a deeply felt, risky, unpredictable tour of the soul.
– Author: Thomas Moore
In my return trip from Milan in April, my husband called me a jet setter as I was flying to India the next day. This is really unusual for me as I have always had an international remit in my work as an information professional but didn’t need to travel due to the technology and postal services of the day. However, due to my commitment as President of SLA and work-related meetings – I had been travelling most of April and May. I had three weeks of work between Italy and India with a break to Toronto and Detroit but what is even more relevant – is that I had to work in India, Detroit and Toronto where it didn’t actually feel unnatural. I just had to make sure I was focussed on the tasks and deadlines I had to deal with on those weeks away. I am also fully aware of my airmiles, and you will be glad to know that I have no travel plans for the next few months.
Last month I mentioned my trip India – which was so special and I am still taking time to absorb all the implications that comes with travelling to an ancestral land that had great resonance on my family and life. I know if I never go to India again – it would have been one of my wishes come through, and just being there for under two weeks help me to put some missing pieces in the puzzle.
Earlier in April for the Easter break, I had visited Milan. Since the 1980s, Milan has also been on my list to visit as I looked at Italian football and a USA fashion show which used to show the fashion runways in Milan, Paris and New York. I have also spent several hours looking at football with my husband in the 1990s when there was only one television in our home and no internet or digital media to distract me – although I also enjoyed looking at football then too. My trip to Milan was to see the city but also to go mainly to a football game at the San Siro Stadium before it is knocked down and rebuilt. The trip on the subway to the stadium was great as I had never used the subway in Italy before, and it was interesting to be travelling in a modern way in an old city. The build-up to the game was amazing and I was able to take in the atmosphere on a fabulous spring day with the usually stalls, smell of food and souvenir on sale. It was a good game and the AC Milan fans are renowned for their atmospheric presence and songs. The Curva Sud was full of flags and tifosi chanting during the game. There was a great family atmosphere with children attending the game at the Easter weekend. I remember the camera shots of the glamourous Italian fans in the 1990s when women dressed very different to British fans. With globalisation, most of the football fashion sense where similar to those found in any city now.
Some of the other attractions around Milan were the new skyscrapers that were built in the financial district, as well as residential areas of the city. In recent years – I kept seeing the Bosca Verticale on social media, which was coincidentally within walking distance to our hotel. It was an ultimate green living wall and the design was intended to make a statement as well a ‘best in show’ (pardon the pun) for environmentally sustainable design for an urban residential building. It was really impressive on the skyline and I will remember how beautiful it was with other homes and a community around it – there was older buildings and parks nearby.
In contrast, we took a walk to the main central areas of Milan around the famous Duomo and nearby Galleria. It was a busy Easter Sunday and the piazza was very busy with tourist taking photos and have something to eat. There seemed to be hardy any local Milanese around at the Easter weekend, but I guess it comes alive in the normal week. The trams in Milan were also good to see but I didn’t get a chance to try one. Bergamo is not far from Milan and we also wanted to visit it after hearing great stories from family and friends. We got the train from Milan Central Station, and we were there in less than one hour. On arrival at Bergamo, the avenue led straight to the hill top Alta Vista which was the medieval part of the old town. It was good to walk around and see the buildings, shops, street entertainment and enjoy some lunch in the nice restaurants. The town looked very affluent, and I liked spending the day there. One other part of Milan I didn’t know about until recently was the Canals area of the city. It is not like Venice but there are several restaurants and a good vibe if you want to spend the time looking at the sunset which reflects beautifully on the canal.
Just across the Atlantic was my next trip for the MLA|SLA Conference in Detroit 23. It was a unique experience going to the conference was SLA President 2023 and one I didn’t expect to happen. I was immensely proud to be representing SLA and working with Board of Directors this year in bringing a collaborative conference, especially as it was too expensive for us to host on our own this year. The conference committee provided very complementary content on leadership, management and related topics to educate, empower and enlighten information professionals. It was great for me too to hear from experienced panellists on the insights, opportunities and issues that are relevant in the sector. I certainly came away feeling enthused and inspired to carry on this work in my day job, and in the profession. I am also a lot more aware of Medical Sciences Libraries and how important MLA is to its’ community. They are more academic than perhaps a specialised library and it was great to see how seriously their roles and libraries are for the future of medicine and healthcare professionals. It was great to be warmly welcomed by their staff and volunteer leaders, and I am pleased that we were able to collaborate successfully this year.
The sponsors and exhibitors at the conference were great to see, and they remind me how technology-focus our roles are, as well as giving us a real user-based and user-experience format to meet and discuss information provision, research and access at conference. Realistically we are able to benefit with their support, and they also have an opportunity to speak to us directly or as a group when we meet. I hope we can continue to build stronger and sustained relationships for the future.
I practiced on the greatest model of storytelling we’ve got, which is “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey.” I told those stories many, many times.
– Author: Philip Pullman
Detroit itself was an interesting city and is well-known for being a ‘Motor city’ due to the motor industries in the regions. There was definitely a motor theme as I stayed in the Detroit Marriot which is part of the General Motors complex at the Renaissance Center. There was also a car display on my first day, and the grand prix is also happening soon. Motown music is also the other aspect that the city is famous for, and as I was busy the five days I was in Detroit – I was unable to visit the Hitsville museum. Perhaps next time.
On arriving in Detroit, I had to get my bearings as the position of the conference on the riverfront in Detroit meant that we can see Canada clearly from the USA and the beautiful turquoise water of Lake Erie between the two countries. I loved looking at the sunrise in the morning, and figured out the position of the hotel from the sunrise. I thought of freedom fighters like Harriet Tubman who may have made similar freedom passages. It was also great to see the tribute of the city as a passage to freedom in Canada for enslaved people. There was also a statute of an indigenous American with his canoe, and I can easily envision him and his people using the Lake to go to surrounding land, and perhaps to even fish. At the MLA|SLA Conference – it was recognised that the land around the conference belonged to three tribes including the Anishinaabe tribe.
The final hours in Detroit, I spent with conference delegates (friends) at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and it was great to see a world class collection as well as to be surprised with the artefacts from faraway lands and civilisations.
The time in Detroit made me more aware of the many new technical and subject areas about my profession, as well as the local area and history. I look forward to catching up with old and new contacts in the next few weeks, and perhaps seeing some again in the future.
I actually spent two weekends and a bit in Toronto on my way to and from London as I initially could not find a direct flight to Detroit. It was my second visit in 14 years – it seems I have always been aware of Canada as my auntie would visit us in Trinidad, and we had photos in our family album from her life and family in Canada. As she mentioned to me in the 1980s – Canada is new, clean and great place to live. It still looks amazingly clean and modern compared to other parts of the world.
I mainly spent my time with family and taking trips to downtown or in suburbia in their subway or buses. It was great to see some of the sights and areas of interest again, such as the financial district, main squares, gardens and lake shore. There are some impressive mainly new architecture, shops, creativity hubs as well as art centres. I used to send information and books to King Street West – and it was nice to see it again. Around the area I stayed, there were a large Asian community with great restaurants. As with most major cities – the cost of living has increased a lot in the last decade and it seems so too in Toronto.
My mother (who lived for a while in Canada) and auntie have both passed on and I thought of them often. It was great to see other relatives and friends. I was able to see some friends who keep in touch by social media as it is still one of the best ways to let people know what you are doing, where and how you can connect with them. I didn’t plan to see a baseball game at the Rogers stadium but we saw the fans leaving the game after a win a few weekends ago, and the vibe was really feel-good with the Blue Jays kit looking amazing in the spring sunshine. I was also able to visit two gardens with my auntie and it was also nice to see other Toronto folks enjoying the beauty and good weather around the lake and downtown. As I have close family in Toronto – it is likely that I will visit again one day.
That’s what the American odyssey is really about: Leaving home. Leaving home and coming home, and trying to understand the difference.
– Author: Tom Bodett
Connecting the Dots 