A friend recently invited me to join her on a trip to Europe. Knowing me, she should not have bothered. I think twice before venturing on a trip to our backyard. It is true. I like traveling almost as much as I like scrubbing a toilet bowl.
I need more scientific data to prove it but I am convinced that an aversion to travel must be a medical sickness. Why else would the thought of going to sun-drenched beaches and other exotic destinations put me under a self-induced coma? What else would explain my need to pretend hearing loss whenever the term ‘vacation’ is mentioned? If my considering a visit to Paris on par with a visit to the Dentist not sick, I don’t know what is. I do hope that someone will hurry and publish a paper soon about this new disorder/syndrome ‘travelophobia’ to give my theory validity and save me from the many murderous looks around the house.
That being said, I do have some good news. I have stumbled on to a place that I might just like to visit. I know that a lot of my friends and family have already been there. They must have fallen in love with it because all of them have pitched tents and settled very comfortably over there.
What is most noteworthy about this place is that it seems to entice folks from all walks of life to try their hands at agriculture.
Welcome to Farmville! At Farmville, anyone can be a farmer and you better believe it. A friend of mine who has earned a well-deserved reputation for bringing home a bag full of rotten tomatoes from her grocery trip without fail every week is now growing a field full of healthy big, red tomatoes in Farmville. A cousin who has never owned a pet in her life is now caring for a cage full of chickens in her farm. I am forever hearing stories about lost sheep or calf that wander in to people’ farms looking for a new home. Talk about a mobile petting zoo!
What actually pushed me over the brink of uncertainty and to seriously consider overcoming my travel phobia to visit this place is the way this place seems to inspire generosity and samaritan values in people. Are you sick or on vacation? Are you worried that your crops will shrink and wither away in your absence? Quit worrying. A few good neighbors in Farmville will drop in and fertilize your crops out of the goodness of their hearts. Need to go out of town for a few days? Count on any inhabitant of Farmville to come feed your hungry chickens. Found a lost baby calf on your farm? Be at peace knowing that you will get it adopted in this beloved city in no time at all. Such generosity is mind boggling and can only be inspired in Farmville!
Got to go now and dust off my suitcases to get ready for our family vacation to Farmville! Hold on, my Facebook friends and cousins with puny crops, hungry chickens and lost animals! Help is on the way. Who knows? I may end up buying the farm south of yours and pitch a tent there myself.
-Meena Sankaran
PS: To all those non-Facebook users who look lost after reading my post like the poor animals on Farmville, here is a little explanation. Farmville is a game application on Facebook that keeps folks around the world busy 24/7.
10 comments:
hahaha i was thinking about Facebook, and wondwering if there was an actual place lol. Nicely written chithi! chithi, i never expected this frm you. So tech Savvy :) hope someone finds a cure for it or... you will be the target for the stares :).
as usual a nice post,btw,would u like to join me as my neighbour in FARMVILLE????
Thanks Nivi. It wasn't easy for me to write this column. I had to work up enough courage to take digs at what looked like the world's most popular past time.
Now I am bracing myself to face the consequences of my audacious writing. (I know, I know...you want to know why I am using big words like 'audacious' here. I like that word and have always wanted to use it somewhere, ok? Do you mind?)
I count myself very lucky so far as I have one Farmville invitation and no bodily blows to report so far.
He he.... Jayammaa, are you sure Farmville isn't overpopulated already? Does our world really need another addicted game player?
BTW, thanks for the invitation. Let me take some time to think before I accept, ok?
Non facebook users? Such people exist? Ha ha good post and really interesting to read. One of my friends doesn;t enjoy travelling at all and this has really helped me to understand a bit more that she has her reasons and that I probably shouldn't keep trying to convince her. Thanks for posting it is really appreciated.
Kate xx
Kate,
Welcome and thanks for telling me about your friend. It is a relief to know that there are people out there just like me. Makes me feel less like an 'odd ball'.
And yes, believe it or not, there are still a handful of people out there that are managing to resist FB's pull.
If these non-Facebook users were smart, they would all pool together and start a global rehab program called 'How NOT to succumb to FaceBook - Farmville in particular'. I have a feeling employers around the world would trip over themselves lining up to sponsor this program for they are the ones most at risk here, don't you agree?
You are just jealous that you are not able to level up as fast as the rest of us :-)
LOL LOL LOL LOL
It took me a while to understand Farmville. My cousins play every day and I get the most weird status updates :)
I don't play it myself - but that's because I already live in the boondocks and don't need Farmville :)
If they had something like that for history or art - say Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Terror, Dark Ages, Plague, Dan Brown, Revolutions, ...well I am thankful I don't know any - otherwise I will lose job and health care by playing full time :-)
//You are just jealous that you are not able to level up as fast as the rest of us :-)//
Come on, give. Who told you??
//I don't play it myself - but that's because I already live in the boondocks and don't need Farmville :)
//
Ha ha.....same reasoning goes for me, Srilatha.
Have had 2 invitations to Farmville so far. I forgot to add 'hospitality' to all the other virtues of the Farmville population. These samaritans won't rest until they see all their friends and family putting roots (literally) in their neighboring farm.
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