Local Living
A little over a month ago, I was partaking in a mock interview as training for the Syrian Refugee research I would be conducting this summer. The topic was traveling abroad; a concept very near and dear to my heart. About half way through, my interviewer cuts me off and says, “So, I’m noticing a theme here: friends and food.” I never gave it much thought before this point, but my life and my experiences abroad truly could not be described any better. I have found that meeting the local people and eating the local food is the best way to become enveloped in a new region. Even better is that these two things often come hand-in-hand. If you show interest in an area, its history, culture, people and food, you will quickly find how eager individuals are to take you under their wing and show you where they come from.
Once you meet one local, and if you are kind and genuine, you will find that they will introduce you to all of their friends. Their family will become yours and you will be given an authentic cultural experience. As you truly get to know a place through these people, you will learn more than a book, a lecture, or a Google search could ever teach you. Prejudices you may have once held will be shattered in seconds. Other beliefs will be strengthened beyond belief. Most importantly, you will establish relationships that will surpass your time abroad.
I have been getting on airplanes and traveling to new, exotic places since I moved to the United States at the age of 5. Thus, leaving places I call home only to end up in a different home with different “family” is not a foreign concept to me. With that, adjusting to a different currency is probably the smallest adjustment I have to make. Money is money, no matter where you go. Locals are very understanding and if you try to put in the effort, they will meet you half way, or even 90% of the way. All it takes is a little self motivation and 5 minutes of your day (if that) to ask someone to teach you what each coin and bill is called and how much each is worth. All you have to do after that is sit there, listen and learn.
Once you know how much money you have, you can then go to the flea market/ souk/ bazaar and buy souvenirs that will last you a lifetime. My goal is to one day have a living room full of trinkets from places all over the world and to be able to point to each one and tell the story associated with it. My favorite things are the ones with a story. Oftentimes, those are the things that I have found, have come by, or have been given to me. They are train or event tickets that remind me of a happy or life changing experience. The most interesting thing I have purchased during my current trip to Jordan, though, would be my abaya type dress. We got invited to Sheikh Khaled’s home for dinner one evening and all of the females on the trip wanted to dress traditional and be respectful of the Sheikh’s home and family. We went to Wasat Al Balad and each shopped around for our own unique, traditional gown. Although I don’t see myself wearing this again any time soon, it is something that I will have with me forever. Something that will remind me of that humbling experience at the Sheikh’s home.
