At the end of last December I found myself thinking about how I could challenge myself in the new year. This in itself proved something of a challenge, as historically I haven't thought this way. In the past challenges would arise of course, but usually not at my instigation; they just came along as I went about life. They still do, but for this year I decided some would be set to my own terms, or as close to those terms as possible.
As it stands, the last eight months have proven a deal more interesting than I might have expected. Among other things, I started investing, transferred an IRA from one company to another, filed my own taxes for the first time, participated in a track-coach interview, found a new job, started cycling to said job, and took on a 30-day novel challenge. Nothing here is particularly extraordinary, but for me at least they were all firsts, and all began as goals in my mind. That some proved successful and others didn't matters little to me--taking them on was and remains a victory in and of itself.
Now as we enter August a new challenge approaches. It might be the "boldest" one yet by my admittedly low standards, but more than the others I think, this one takes me furthest from my element. The challenge: flying to a foreign country on my own.
Broadly speaking the challenge involves more than the transit, but it begins with the plane-ride. I'm going to Denmark to see an old friend, who has graciously offered to meet me at the airport and play host for the duration. I've wanted to visit this friend for a long time, but always found the prospect of traveling there daunting. Experienced travelers may scoff at my hesitancy, particularly since money or time as rarely been an issue; but nerves are what they are, and as the old saying goes, can make mole-hills seem like mountains. Or something like that.
Anyway with the trip less than two weeks away, I find myself growing both nervous and excited at the prospect. I'm excited because here is an adventure like no other I've attempted, to an interesting country where a very dear friend calls home. Routines--physical and mental--will be disrupted, leaving space to see things in new ways. There is also the prospect of encountering another culture first-hand, with a language, history, and set of traditions all their own. The explorer,writer, and history student in me can hardly wait to get started.
On the other hand, there are always the nerves that go with travel--navigating airports, finding one's gate on time, and accidentally offending or embarrassing people whose customs and expectations might be different from one's own. Strange as it sounds, this last point is the one that worries me most, and naturally, is the one over which I have the least control. In general I dislike offending people, particularly when the offense is unintended. On the other hand, if experience is any guide, some folks can be very prickly about things I would never expect. This holds as much for people from my own country as those from others.
As it is I think this concern, while relevant, looms over-large in my mind. If we become so concerned about stepping on other's toes that we miss all the interesting and nuanced features of their culture--or fail to convey such elements of our own--then I expect no one would benefit from such an encounter. There is perhaps an element of trust involved--trust that if something we do or say isn't "cool" in another country, that someone familiar with such things will politely let us know and see the breech of decorum as the act of ignorance it is, rather than the ill-intent it might seem. To worry extensively over this point may be akin to putting the cart before the horse--that is, worrying about offense given before any offense can possibly be given. Indeed, the discussion is almost absurd, now that it's framed in language. I suspect putting our concerns into writing goes a long way toward alleviating them.
In any case I'm looking forward to the adventure; of seeing my friend, and the country where she grew-up and calls home; and challenging myself to overcome those fears and lack of experience I have in this matter. We'll see how it goes.
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