“What is different in this context compared to your “home” context? How have you adapted to this difference?”
The biggest contextual difference I’ve faced while abroad is socially charged. Sometimes, when I’m in my home country, I worry that kindness is becoming a lost art form. I feel so much tension and anger hanging heavy in the air, that it drowns out the good.
I like how people treat one another in the Danish and Dutch contexts. In the parks people gather, and the joy on their faces is as bright as day. There is such a sense of belonging within these communities. They take care of their own, something I wish was more common back at home. I don’t think all Americans are acting out of self interest, but I think we could all use a lesson in empathy and understanding.
It wasn’t as easy as I thought to adjust to something so sweet. I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder, out of fear and anxiety. The more I let my guard down, the more I realized there was power in my vulnerability, in my trust in my fellow human.
Carson Thorpe 