One of the best things about this trip so far has been the people, and the chance to meet such a wide range of them. They have provided great information, been a sounding board for ideas and questions, and greatly enhanced the experiences of each place.
Being thrown into situations where I step off the train into a new country/city and don't know the language, have no idea where I'm going to spend the night, and don't even have a map has forced me to improve my social skills and meet people much more readily than I would have in the past, and it has had amazing results in terms of how easy is now is to meet people. I think part of this ease may be attributed to practice but also recognize that a large contributing factor is the conducive environment that traveling allows. I'm hoping (and practicing so) that when I get 'back to reality' this new found skill/confidence will translate.
Unfortunately, this abundance of meeting hasn't been without it's downside: constantly starting the 'get to know you' process only to part ways and start over again on a daily basis becomes mentally and somewhat emotionally draining. It gets old. I've started to come up with some new ways to mix things up and will see how that works out. Despite the drain of so many constant encounters I feel a compulsion to keep meeting, not quite sure if it is driven by a hope that the next interaction will lead to a lasting/sustainable friendship, or perhaps by the new found confidence of feeling that I can now approach and interact with people at will with only an occassional and subdued fear of rejection.
Being thrown into situations where I step off the train into a new country/city and don't know the language, have no idea where I'm going to spend the night, and don't even have a map has forced me to improve my social skills and meet people much more readily than I would have in the past, and it has had amazing results in terms of how easy is now is to meet people. I think part of this ease may be attributed to practice but also recognize that a large contributing factor is the conducive environment that traveling allows. I'm hoping (and practicing so) that when I get 'back to reality' this new found skill/confidence will translate.
Unfortunately, this abundance of meeting hasn't been without it's downside: constantly starting the 'get to know you' process only to part ways and start over again on a daily basis becomes mentally and somewhat emotionally draining. It gets old. I've started to come up with some new ways to mix things up and will see how that works out. Despite the drain of so many constant encounters I feel a compulsion to keep meeting, not quite sure if it is driven by a hope that the next interaction will lead to a lasting/sustainable friendship, or perhaps by the new found confidence of feeling that I can now approach and interact with people at will with only an occassional and subdued fear of rejection.
1 comment:
i think one thing you need to do now is to challenge yourself to branch out and start meeting the locals. you are meeting a lot of fellow travelers, but how many natives have you really got to know? if you have mastered the ability to quickly meet and befriend english speakers, how about trying your hand at piercing the language barrier. break out. this should be a lot easier once, and if, you slow down and spend a bit more time in a place.
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