Tomorrow I leave for my month long adventure in Colorado. I'll be staying in a sublet I found on Craigslist, in a town I've never been, and working with people I don't know. I only have one friend in the whole town, and I haven't seen her in six years, so I can't quite claim that we are bosom buddies. When I was a kid, the idea of doing something like this, where you had to spend all of your time with strangers would have terrified me. (Warning: shameless plug to follow.) But I can credit my current ease with such situations to one particular event - study abroad. (Thank you, Rotary.)
Sure, I spent the first four months in Germany dreadfully homesick and unable to communicate beyond rudimentary present-tense phrases. In spite of the fact that Germany is so similar to America (Work ethic, anyone? Latin alphabet? Strange appreciation for David Hasselhoff?) I still messed up lots of things: I kept the door open when I was in a room, when it should have been closed. I showered too much. I poofed up my bangs. (It was the nineties, after all.) I didn't know to bring flowers to every dinner or party I showed up to. I didn't know what forms I needed, before I was legally allowed to live in a city. (In Germany, everyone is required to register with the police, not like here, where just the pedophiles have to.)
So when I think of heading off to a new place now, it's not scary at all. At least everyone speaks English. In America, I'm perfectly clear an when I need to shake hands (not that often) and how to communicate with people in a professional setting without sounding clueless/presumptuous/foolish.
I still love going new places, but I'm also grateful when I'm headed somewhere where I know the unwritten rules as well as the written ones.
See you in Colorado!
7 comments:
will you still post from CO?? Oh, and you have a lot of family just below you in NM - bug them to come visit (or you there! It's a short-ish trip)
I can't wait to hear about your adventures there. I've only been once, to Denver but it was insanely brief.
Hoping that the culture shock of Boulderians isn't too much. I'm sure you will be able to handle those mountain hiking, patagonia wearing crunch granola-types!
Denver is a pretty cool city with a lot of young people. My hiking buddy, Wild Bill, has two sons living there - one a professional chef that started off in Assets - and they love it there.
Thanks for plugging the Rotary exchange program which has benefited thousands of kids with the same type of experience you had.
Matty - you should be aware that CO also has some of the most conservative politics in the country so it's not all granola types.
Good point, Uncle NM! I agree, Colorado as a whole has a heck of a lot of conservatives, but I think that many of the non-conservatives congregate in Boulder.
RM- can't wait to hear your reports of stylish adventures in Boulder/Denver area. It is supposed to be not only very very beautiful but also quite fun.
I spent a whole month in Boulder last year. It's a very fun and beautiful place!
I highly recommend the farmer's market on Saturday morning - the home-made tamales were very authentic-, and the restaurant 'seven' - you just have to try the mango and pistachio won-tons. There was also an art festival, but I don't know if it is a yearly thing. And a chocolate shop off Pine street.
There is also a large Catholic church that was full during mass. Not that being catholic and granola-type are mutually exclusive.
I can't wait to read about your adventures!
addendum - the chocolate shop is off pearl st, not pine st. (I keep typing pine for some reason)
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