Questions & Answers
Questions & Answers Day 2: This Question came from the students at Nevada middle school: How does this Quest compare with other Quests? John Fox replied: "Good question. This Quest is really similar in many ways but very different in others. I've been really struck by the diverse Native cultures that are still very much alive within our country's borders. America can be as "exotic" as anywhere else we've been in terms of natural beauty and cultural richness. Today, for example, we witnessed a kachina ceremony on Hopi that's been happening like that for hundreds of years. In terms of how we do things and approach our subject matter there's little difference between this and other Quests. We always look for mysteries and we always seek out the familiar within the exotic. "The big difference is that in-between these great mysteries we're faced with perhaps the dreariest and most depressingly familiar aspect of America: strip malls. This afternoon we were at a Hopi kachina ceremony. Then we had dinner at Sizzler's! In other countries the adventure continues as we travel and in the places we stay. The exotic is often right outside the door. But here we see what America is becoming: one big strip mall. The unique is being replaced by the bland sameness of Walmart's, Wendy's and McDonald's. That's just depressing, especially when we're away from our families." "Speaking for myself", says Jerome Thélia, "this experience has been entirely different from AsiaQuest (my only other Quest). It's been an important realization that we have such a rich history and culture in our own backyard. In that sense it's stretched my concept of 'exotic'. The learning curve has also been less steep for me personally than on AsiaQuest, since that was my first trip. We've developed a system as a production team for producing videos, QTVRs, cataloging digital photos and sounds, networking laptops and email that becomes more efficient and lightweight as time goes on. My dream is to be able to satisfy all of our media and technology needs, including satellite transmissions from the back of a few bikes. Solar energy and bike generated sources of electricity might be part of that scenario for AustraliaQuest."
Day 1 Q&A
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Day 2 Q&A
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Day 3 Q&A
Day 4 Q&A
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Day 5 Q&A
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