By Jonah Travis (@dreamchsr)
As far as living arrangments there doesn’t seem to be too much I’ve left behind. Besides a few minor adjustments like not being able to drink faucet water and having to leave my shoes at the door everything seems relatively normal. We have WIFI and the house is really nice so what more could you ask for?
As far as big picture goes, I’d say I’ve left a large sense of security behind. There aren’t too many times, situations, and people that I don’t feel comfortable around at home but here it feels as though the potential for something to go wrong based on your lack of understanding of customs is at a high. This was one of my biggest fears coming here was how much my lack of understanding of their day-to-day norms would affect me in a negative way.
Being back home or even at school if I am in a situation that is unfamiliar it takes but five seconds for me to remove myself. Here almost the entire situation is uncomfortable and it would take almost 24 hours of travel time to completely remove myself.
I’m excited to learn and interact though. I guess the lack of security sense and uncomfortable feelings are simply brought on by a lack of understanding, which I am eager to change.
One Response to Sense of Security
July 7, 2013 at 4:56 pm
Dreamchaser,
You’re going to have a great time, and learn beyond your wildest dreams. Gain a better sense of security & comfort by learning key words/expressions in the local “non-English” language, (Tamil?). In particular, “Please”, “Thank you”, “Hello” and “It’s nice to meet you. My name is ___”. Though your accent may not be perfect, the other party will appreciate you’ve made the effort to speak in their language. Learn about them and their needs/wants/desires, the same way you learned about “Occupy” by asking questions with an open mind. #HugeGrowthOpportunity