One thing I've learned since being onOne thing I've learned since being on the race is that, as a foreigner in someone else's country, people want to speak english and if they hear you talking with your friends or to someone, they will come up and try as best as they can to try and talk to you. It's really a precious thing to be a part of!
More than Words….
One thing I've learned since being on the race is that, as a foreigner in someone else's country, people want to speak english and if they hear you talking with your friends or to someone, they will come up and try as best as they can to try and talk to you. It's really a precious thing to be a part of!
I feel like in America, at least where I've been and the places I've been around, if there's a foreigner and you know their language, one does not necessarily take the time to go and try to talk to them, because we are worried about looking stupid because we might mess up what we're trying to say. Practice makes perfect is a phrase we negate as often as possible – we want to speak a language only once we have it perfected, not as we go along.
One thing I learned in China was that smiles go a long way. Even if you can't really verbally communicate with someone very well, a smile makes the conversation bearable on both sides. I can't count the number of times that someone was getting frustrated with us, or vice versa, and some of us started smiling or laughing and it was suddenly comical to all involved. We started many friendships this way.
In South Africa, not many people would smile or be talkative to those they don't know. I noticed this in South Korea, when I was there in 2008. The people I travelled with would make fun of me because I would say "On Yong Ah Say Oh" aka hello in Korean, to anyone, walking on the street, in shops, anywhere. I noticed that I didn't do that as much when I first started the race – but since China, I've gotten right back into the groove. It's amazing the way people's attitudes and outlooks change when they receive a smile and a hello. Granted, not everyone appreciates it, but it always makes me happy when people do.
Conversely, I've learned not to be offended when people don't receive it well. Pretty much every time I say "hello!" to someone and they don't respond I either say/think to myself "Or not." I think of Proverbs 16:3 that says "Commit your works to the Lord , and your thoughts will be established." It could be really easy to get offended by people and say something nasty to them, as so many people often do, but that's not what I'm about. I still believe that even if they don't respond, at the least it's cracking the wall or shell around them, if only for that day.
One thing I'm striving to get better at is reaching out to foreigners/strangers/neighbors – even if it's uncomfortable for me. I think the way that plays out, especially living in Denver, is to become closer to fluent in spanish and use it to reach out to the hispanic population in my area. It's getting to know my neighbors more and inviting them into my life. It's seeing a single mom and asking her how I can tangibly help her, maybe by offering There are many ways that I can get to know the people around me, hispanic or not. It would also look like reaching out to those who are lonely – widows, single moms, the elderly, my neighbors, anyone I run across – I'll be more open to looking for ways to love on the people who are around me. Like I said, a smile changes the way people are.
One thing I'm striving to get better at is reaching out to foreigners – even if it's uncomfortable. I think the way that plays out, especially living in Denver, is to become closer to fluent in spanish and use it to reach out to the hispanic population in my area. There are many ways that I can get to know the people around me, hispanic or not. It would also look like reaching out to those who are lonely – widows, single moms, the elderly, anyone I run across – I'll be more open to looking for ways to love on the people who are around me. Like I said, a smile changes the way people are. the race is that, as a foreigner in someone else's country, people want to speak english and if they hear you talking with your friends or to someone, they will come up and try as best as they can to try and talk to you. It's really a precious thing to be a part of!
I feel like in America, at least where I've been and the places I've been around, if there's a foreigner and you know their language, we don't necessarily take the time to go and try to talk to them, because we are worried about looking stupid because we might mess up what we're trying to say. Practice makes perfect is a phrase we negate as often as possible – we want to speak a language only once we have it perfected, not as we go along.
One thing I learned in China was that smiles go a long way. Even if you can't really verbally communicate with someone very well, a smile makes the conversation bearable on both sides. I can't count the number of times that someone was getting frustrated with us, or vice versa, and some of us started smiling or laughing and it was suddenly comical to all involved. We started many friendships this way.
In South Africa, not many people would smile or be talkative to those they don't know. I noticed this in South Korea, when I was there in 2008. The people I travelled with would make fun of me because I would say "On Yong Ah Say Oh" aka hello in Korean, to anyone, walking on the street, in shops, anywhere. I noticed that I didn't do that as much when i first started the race – but since China, I've gotten right back into the groove. It's amazing the way people's attitudes and outlooks change when they receive a smile and a hello. Granted, not everyone appreciates it, but it always makes me happy when people do.
Conversely, I've learned not to be offended when people don't receive it well. Pretty much every time I say "hello!" to someone and they don't respond I either say/think to myself "Or not." I think of Proverbs 16:3 that says "Commit your works to the Lord , and your thoughts will be established." It could be really easy to get offended by people and say something nasty to them, as so many people often do, but that's not what I'm about. I still believe that even if they don't respond, at the least it's cracking the wall or shell around them, if only for that day.
One thing I'm striving to get better at is reaching out to foreigners – even if it's uncomfortable. I think the way that plays out, especially living in Denver, is to become closer to fluent in spanish and use it to reach out to the hispanic population in my area. There are many ways that I can get to know the people around me, hispanic or not. It would also look like reaching out to those who are lonely – widows, single moms, the elderly, anyone I run across – I'll be more open to looking for ways to love on the people who are around me. Like I said, a smile changes the way people are. One thing I've learned since being on the race is that, as a foreigner in someone else's country, people want to speak english and if they hear you talking with your friends or to someone, they will come up and try as best as they can to try and talk to you. It's really a precious thing to be a part of!
I feel like in America, at least where I've been and the places I've been around, if there's a foreigner and you know their language, we don't necessarily take the time to go and try to talk to them, because we are worried about looking stupid because we might mess up what we're trying to say. Practice makes perfect is a phrase we negate as often as possible – we want to speak a language only once we have it perfected, not as we go along.
One thing I learned in China was that smiles go a long way. Even if you can't really verbally communicate with someone very well, a smile makes the conversation bearable on both sides. I can't count the number of times that someone was getting frustrated with us, or vice versa, and some of us started smiling or laughing and it was suddenly comical to all involved. We started many friendships this way.
In South Africa, not many people would smile or be talkative to those they don't know. I noticed this in South Korea, when I was there in 2008. The people I travelled with would make fun of me because I would say "On Yong Ah Say Oh" aka hello in Korean, to anyone, walking on the street, in shops, anywhere. I noticed that I didn't do that as much when i first started the race – but since China, I've gotten right back into the groove. It's amazing the way people's attitudes and outlooks change when they receive a smile and a hello. Granted, not everyone appreciates it, but it always makes me happy when people do.
Conversely, I've learned not to be offended when people don't receive it well. Pretty much every time I say "hello!" to someone and they don't respond I either say/think to myself "Or not." I think of Proverbs 16:3 that says "Commit your works to the Lord , and your thoughts will be established." It could be really easy to get offended by people and say something nasty to them, as so many people often do, but that's not what I'm about. I still believe that even if they don't respond, at the least it's cracking the wall or shell around them, if only for that day.
One thing I'm striving to get better at is reaching out to foreigners – even if it's uncomfortable. I think the way that plays out, especially living in Denver, is to become closer to fluent in spanish and use it to reach out to the hispanic population in my area. There are many ways that I can get to know the people around me, hispanic or not. It would also look like reaching out to those who are lonely – widows, single moms, the elderly, anyone I run across – I'll be more open to looking for ways to love on the people who are around me. Like I said, a smile changes the way people are.
