I've been to and from the states and the middle east. First time was a major culture shock. I never experienced anything like it in my life. I mean, I grew up in a middle class suburban neighborhood, I hardly had any confrontation and tried to avoid it. But that first time, I had to get in peoples faces and try to understand a totally different culture. I adapted quickly, especially being up close and personal with the local population. I was able to understand there hand gestures and mimic it to help me communicate. Even when I come back to the states I find myself doing the same gestures. Guess hard to break a habit.
It was hard for me to see women treated very different and in a degrading manor. I wanted so hard to interject in there culture, but I was a guest in there country, and to do so would not be wise. All I can do is try and show my middle east counter-parts by leading with my examples and motivation on treating everyone the same.
There would be times when I felt alone, and definitely thought of that special someone and wish I was with her. for some reason it never worked out when I would return home. and throughout the years I could not find that special someone that "qualified" to my lifestyle. Now I have learned to be by myself. I have to tell ya that it felt great to come home to someone, it was like a light at the end of a tunnel. So now of course I am living the single life. Which has its ups and downs, just like anything else. But one day, when the good Lord wants me to, I'll settle down and have some little crazies runnin around.
In bed after a long day, I would lay there and think about the small things that I missed.
It would be the smallest and craziest things that would you miss.
The smell of fresh soil being dug up, the taste of the salt filled air by the ocean, walking barefoot on carpet, able to walk outside and see green, The sound of an airplane overhead, able to lay on the grass and let the sun soak into your skin as the heat drifts you off to sleep.These are just a small fraction of what I missed when I would be gone away. It makes life that much more special, and humbles me. It use to upset me so much when I would hear someone back home sayin that hey have it so bad because there car had a gotten a flat tire. I would want to result to violence and punch that person. But now I just pity them and ignore them, cause they will never know how well they have it.
