झाड़ू, 掃帚, बरोोम, Broom

Some times the tiniest, seemingly meaningless things can alter our perspectives on life. I don't have very many personal examples of this. Maybe it's because I wasn't paying enough attention.
Yesterday, I stole a broom from the agroecology room to sweep up ours. Relatively insignificant. But as I started the others in the room felt compelled to sweep their areas into the middle. Still, not a big deal. But what I got to observe was sweeping styles from four different countries. Trust me, it was interesting. It wasn't the fact that everybody just swept differently, it was the fact that everyone was trying to sweep using an "American" style broom with the techniques of the brooms that are endemic to their respective regions. For the record the countries were India, China, Nepal, and the USA (also the order of the title).
All of this was small in comparison but I really like the fact that's the people I work with. Miami is an international city, not just the capital of Latin America. Later in the day the student from China gave a presentation showing her study site in Southern China, and it was exactly the kind of place that you see in movies. And I remember thinking to myself, "You Live there" (China, regional). When I think about my girlfriend and her experiences in Cuba, I feel so far removed from the world and my subsequent lack of abroadness. I even knew, beforehand, about India's World Cup bid in cricket and just how big the semi-final match was against Pakistan and how it was unacceptable to let them reach the final in Mumbai (100 million bonus points to you if you can tell me in the comment box why). I have friends from the DR, India, China, Nepal, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Haiti,Nicaragua, and numerous others.
But, what gets to me the most is why I haven't explored? Why am I being intrigued as of late? Maybe its because of I see just how much others and their culture have to offer. Yeah sure there are differences, often huge differences, but would we want it exactly the same across the board? What I know is that I plan to start stamping my passport. Because, if I die and Las Vegas is the furthest I make it, I'm going to be ticked!