If Only We Could All Walk A Mile ...

It's hard to describe how it feels for your status to be uncertain in your country of residence.  Having spent the first 27 years of my life living in the US this is something I had always taken for granted.  I never questioned the fact that I belonged because I was an American by birth.

Fast forward to my current situation.  On Saturday, I will board a train and cross a border in order to fulfill the requirements of the Visa I have been issued.  Every sixty days, I must leave the country that I live in and re-enter in order to be able to stay another sixty days and then repeat the process again.

Every time I walk out the door, I am reminded that I am a guest.  When the local authorities require that I officially notify the police of my place of residence, I am again reminded that I am a guest.  When our hosts "request" that we inform them every time we leave the city, for how long, and for what purpose, I am reminded that I am a - you guessed it - a guest!

It changes you to be a "foreigner."  You smile more, are more shy than normal, and are careful not to offend.  You are humbled by your ignorance - of the language, of the culture, and of all the ways in which small children are more proficient than you.  The extra attention embarrasses you.  The occasional hostility unnerves you.  You are not yourself, and yet it seems you know yourself for the first time.

All-in-all, when you get past the ways in which you are traumatized by the experience, traveling abroad certainly can bring each of us one step closer to living in harmony with others.  #BeKind #SameWorldDifferentLens