Journeymen in New York.

Journeymen are part of an ancient German tradition by which craftsmen, organized in guilds, leave their homes after they finish their formal education and must travel around the world for three years and one day to perfect their craftsmanship by working with and learning from different masters from different cultures.  

On the first year of the journey, a journeyman should travel around his own country, then on the second year around Europe, and for the third year, a journeyman should go overseas. During his journey, he mustn't stay in one place for longer than three months, he should wear only his guild's traditional clothes (which serve him as a uniform that represents his guild), and he is not allowed to pay for his accommodations. So a journeyman must depend on the guild's reputation, on the hospitality of strangers, and his personal people skills. A journeyman should leave his home with no money, and during his journey, he should be making a living by practicing his craft only.

All these rules push a journeyman to interact with all sorts of people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. Travels and work make one a knowledgeable professional and broaden one's horizons. 

Once a journeyman finishes his travels, he should change to regular clothes, live a normal life and apply his knowledge to the craft he practices. 

I met two Journeymen in South Brooklyn – one of the least touristy areas of New York. Dressed in their traditional attire, they looked so weird, out of place, and interesting that it immediately drew my attention. Once I learned their story, I was so fascinated that I invited them to stay with me for the time they were to spend in New York. During their stay, I took them to different cultural neighborhoods of the city, introduced them to my Russian-speaking community, and helped them to find some carpeting projects. 

If the idea of becoming a journeyman is to learn about different cultures, then New York is definitely a place to visit on one's journey.