Being in another country, I have been the odd man out in a sense of outer appearance. We consistently have people staring, pointing fingers, and laughing. We had a little girl and boy that passed us saying “what are those”? This definitely made me feel awkward, but gave me compassion for the people that get treated differently back home based on their ethnicity.
We expect to feel safe and to be treated with respect when we go to other countries. How many times do we turn a cheek when someone is having a hard time communicating or making rude comments based off how they mispronounce words. Having to say names in Mongolian was so defeating, no matter how many times they repeated it, I couldn’t say it right. To see the children try so hard to speak English at such a young age was so inspiring. It makes me want to spend more time investing in their language.
Being on the side where it is harder to communicate made me feel very insceure. It is hard to involve myself in social activities when I don’t understand the language. After one day of being here, the stares have slowed down and the Mongolian hospitality was present. They love to share their culture and learn about the American culture as well. We are getting more invites to dinners, hikes, and community activities. Overall they are so grateful for an opportunity to learn more English. I hope that people will be more understanding and be a light in this world. If everyone could help one person the world would be a better place and would create more positivity.
