• this world is not my home

What did you find the most difficult the first time you traveled internationally or cross culturally?

I think this is a great question, and each person will likely have a different answer.

I honestly don't remember my first cross cultural experience. When I was four years old, my family lived in Texas and we traveled by car into Mexico to meet some friends of my parents. We stayed in their home, ate local food (I discovered very young that Mexican food is the best on earth!), and it didn't phase me. When we had to stop the car in the middle of the highway to allow a herd of goats walk by, I didn't think anything of it.

Later in life, I traveled to South America. I remember standing for a long time on the curb of a large boulevard in the center of Buenos Aires, Argentina, trying to figure out how to cross the street safely. I didn't know the cues. Finally, I saw a group of people and decided to stay with the group, crossing when they crossed in the safety of their number.

Another difficult moment was when I first moved to Morocco and I found myself standing in a small shop, in front of the counter, trying to figure out how to ask for the carton of milk on the shelf behind the shopkeeper. I did lots of pointing and gesturing, trying to read the carton and realizing that neither my French nor my Arabic were up to the task. I spoke in English a lot, even though I knew no one understood me. Somehow, I wanted to make sure everyone knew I was intelligent and literate, even if I couldn't communicate in a local language.

Maybe that is the bottom line for me, the humbling process of cross cultural travel/living. I have an ego, like I suspect most people have. I don't like to be embarrassed, and I like to be in control. In this sort of situation, embarrassment is a given, it is not if, but when it will happen, and you cannot control what you cannot communicate. That is hard. I think it has also been very good for me. I am far more forgiving, more empathetic, and more compassionate than I used to be. I'm also far less sure of myself, which forces me to ask for help and advice more frequently, and has taught me that I don't know everything...a very important lesson.

This journey to Morocco is my first time in a cross-cultural situation.  The hardest part for me is adapting to their humbleness and friendliness.  It's actually very embarrassing because Moroccans are extremely humble and friendly, whereas Americans typically are not.  The hospitality I receive at home stays makes me wish that I was more like them.  It's actually a very humbling experience...