Comments on: If You Are a Socially Awkward Nomad and You Know It…Clap Your Hands!

By: Earl

Earl — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:27:33 +0000

Hey Colleen – I always find it fascinating how uncomfortable we tend to be in social situations at home. I wish, when back in the US, I could meet people as easily as in other parts of the world, just by walking up to complete strangers and starting a conversation!

By: Colleen

Colleen — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:07:18 +0000

You are not socially awkward, but socially evolved. You’ve had the advantage of interacting with your fellow man on a much better plane as a daily norm for years. We’re the ones who are awkward. It’s weird to have to down ‘liquid courage’ to find the strength to make a friendly overture. You nailed it.

By: Earl

Earl — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:22:26 +0000

Hey Brittany – Glad to know that you, too, can identify with such awkwardness. Let us hope we don’t fall all the way to the Mr. Bean level at some point!

By: Brittany

Brittany — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:56:12 +0000

I absolutely resonated with that (including the cross between Hugh Jackman and Mr. Bean). I actually laughed out loud after I read the first few paragraphs! I’d never really put to much thought into it, it was just there, but on “paper” so to speak, I couldn’t help but laugh at the hilarity of the truth. Thanks for brightening my day

By: b

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:27:26 +0000

Just from reading a few of your blogs, you sound like a soldier who just returned from a tour and can’t wait to get back out there to his unit overseas for another tour.. and PS: your life is fucking awesome =)

By: Diana

Diana — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:46:09 +0000

When you travel to other countries, especially off the beaten path, aren’t some of your most interesting encounters with local people that may have never travelled very far and have a day to day life that differs from yours? The connections come from a shared humanity seen through eyes that accept the differences. While it is more difficult to communicate, we do so because we are curious and the rewards are many. Although it is nice to share notes with fellow travelers, and much can be learned, it is the unexpected meeting up of minds with people who’s lives are so different from mine that open the mind and heart. That shared humanity can also be found with western people who are into American pop culture; when talking to them, I try to pretend I’m in a different country, meeting someone that has a different life from mine. Also, many people overseas are very curious about American pop culture and will ask you about, so it helps to have some knowledge about it.

By: Chris Blyth

Chris Blyth — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:50:37 +0000

Ha ha so true , the last time I returned home from travelling this is what happened to me too ! People were talking about all this stuff that I had nothing in common with anymore …

By: Jamie

Jamie — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:10:34 +0000

Thanks for this post – I stumbled upon it after a recent trip home and it made me feel like less alone in my social awkwardness while there. In my travels, I will talk to anybody, anywhere, anytime. At “home”? Even conversations with some of my oldest friends were difficult in that we didn’t have those usual “go-to” topics that we always had before i skipped town. And with strangers? Forget it – that old insecurity of “why would that person want to talk to me” creeps back in and i’m a shy, introverted girl again.
For me, i think part of the impetus of socializing abroad is a realization – at a very low, nearly subconscious level – that if i don’t act more extroverted, I am not going to talk to anyone but myself for long periods of time. it also feels less awkward; in the U.S., we often need a reason (other than just wanting to know another human being) to talk to a stranger, and so I worry “oh dear, does that man/woman/child think i am hitting on them/want something from them/am going to hurt them?” whereas in another country, those worries drop away and curiosity takes over. And it is true, as a foreigner, the social scene comes to me; i simply have to respond, to be open, to say “yes” when it feels right.
clapping!

By: Earl

Earl — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:47:31 +0000

Hey Indrani – I think the last line of what you wrote is the most important. I’ve also found it better to simply accept that your life is different than those who have not traveled extensively and instead of trying to find a way to fit back in, look for others who you may be able to connect with. It doesn’t mean you have to shut everyone out of your life, but the reality is, just like you mentioned, it does become increasingly more difficult to communicate with people whose lives are so different.

Luckily, there are other travelers out there to connect with and even better, an entire world of like-minded people on line. So these days, you’re never too far away from a good conversation, even if it is only over email for a while

By: Indrani

Indrani — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:41:23 +0000

I absolutely, totally relate to what you’re saying about the social awkwardness of being back home after you travel. The truth is, while humanity and people are fundamentally the same everywhere, I think everyday life in North America in particular, and many places in general, numbs most people to the beauty and wonder of the world. For instance, I’ve stopped even talking about my travels to anyone at home, not because I wouldn’t like to share what I’ve learned and in turn hear about some of their experiences in life, but rather most people simply can’t relate. And the truth is that I can’t relate to their lives being defined by the work they do, what happened on “Lost” or a reality show or something. Even if people wanted to talk about local culture, arts, or anything like that, chances are I’d be able to engage in a meaningful conversation. But after you’ve travelled a bit and had certain experiences that change you profoundly, it’s basically impossible to engage in the kind of conversation that most people engage in, in North America at least. It exists other places as well of course, but my context is North America since I’m from Canada.

A natural thing happens. You start to attract a different type of person – whether you’re at home or elsewhere in the world, especially as you realize the whole world can and is ultimately your home. Very few people want to talk about universal truths or even realize they are important to talk about sometimes, and very few people can generally relate to things that are outside their sphere of lived experience. So you end up only talking to people based on values-based conversations. And wouldn’t you rather do that instead of relating to “America’s Top Model” anyway? A funny thing happens when you travel – you see the world, you experience it, and in some ways you move beyond some of the material aspects of the world that define so many people. So naturally, you can’t have those kinds of conversations anymore and in fact you can be thankful for that! In some ways maybe you have fewer interactions with fewer people when you get back (compared to when you’re in other countries), but my experience at least, has been that those interactions have been far more meaningful and of higher quality than if I’d tried to “fit in” to the mainstream in North America.