The Persona Of A Traveler

By Nancy Lewis

We all have distinctive personalities in various conditions. Or rather, we demonstrate distinct elements of our personalities to diverse persons. I uncover that I am organized and punctual at operate, but effortless-going and relaxed with my pals. I’m pleasant and outgoing at parties, but introspective when I’m alone.

I’ve even observed that the language I’m speaking adjustments my persona a small. I’m outspoken and direct when I’m speaking English, whereas I tend to be additional indirect and nonchalant when I’m speaking Spanish. In Chinese, I’m substantially a lot more tentative, almost certainly due to my restricted skill in the language. All of these characteristics are portion of my personality, every single turning into a lot more dominant based on the situations.

When I was residing in Phoenix, Arizona, where I call household, I was constantly organizing events and get-togethers, inviting buddies to go out. I headed social organizations in town and even begun a Spanish college, which brought like-minded individuals collectively in a social atmosphere. There had been film outings, weekend hikes, coffee socials, language exchanges, and potluck dinners galore. My social-o-meter was turned way up.

So when I 1st embarked on the journey of being a traveler, I expected to carry that social character with me. I anticipated to meet scores of other vacationers and share tales with them more than glasses of the community swill. I anticipated to make tons of community mates who would teach me about their language and culture whilst I taught them about mine. I had hopes of expanding my social circle to the globe, embracing anyone that came inside of attain.

Having said that, following residing as a foreigner for above a year now, I’ve discovered that my traveler persona is unexpectedly introverted. That’s not to say that I’m antisocial. I nevertheless go out with close friends and attend social occasions wherever I may well meet other travelers. At least the moment a week, I consume lunch at a noodle store close to my apartment where I happily chat with the owners in my rudimentary Chinese. And I welcome the approach of strangers on the street who want to practice their English with me.

But I obtain that the volume on my social-o-meter is exceptionally decrease. Rather, I enjoy becoming an observer, sitting and watching people as they go about their daily lives. Whilst I can experience a great deal by engaging with other people, when I sit quietly and observe, I perhaps see a truer model of daily life.

Living in Shanghai is like living in any significant city: we have Starbucks & McDonalds, Wal-Mart & IKEA, reliable public transportation and lots of English-friendly eating places and bars around town. In fact, regrettably, it’s so straightforward to be a foreigner in Shanghai that from time to time I neglect that I dwell in China.

With all this city life going on close to me, I nonetheless come in speak to with the authentic Chinese way of daily life day-to-day. I really do not have to go looking for it down some narrow alleyway in the maze of old Shanghai. All I have to do is pay out interest. If I just sit and observe existence in Shanghai, some pretty amazing points occur.

In spite of the large-speed tempo of city life, I see chivalrous Shanghainese guys carrying purses for their girlfriends, their arms lovingly wrapped about the ladies’ shoulders. I recognize persons politely standing to give their coveted subway seat to an older person. And I meet many folks who happily go out of their way to help me navigate this baffling city.

While most men and women right here are employed to seeing foreigners strolling all over, young children are routinely shocked to see me. The younger ones stare at me as I pass them on the street. The older ones are clumsily discrete as they stage me out to their mothers in the elevator. Some of the bolder youngsters come over to take a closer seem, wide-eyed at my green eyes and light brown hair. I have even caught some adults giving me a 2nd glance, then swiftly making an attempt to hide their curiosity. I just smile and wave at them, greeting them with a friendly “Ni hao”.

In the mornings I see older folks practicing tai chi in the parks. In the evenings, I walk by the same park and see organization men and girls doing exercises soon after operate, jogging all around the pond or using the exercising machines there. I pass as a result of the scene, a witness to how equivalent we all are.

As I stroll down the street, I am engulfed by a swarm of smells, pleasant aromas of bread baking or soups boiling, mixed in with the stench of outdated grease and stinky tofu. Within my apartment constructing, I stumble into a further waft of spices coming from the other apartments on my floor, genuine meals currently being ready.

1 afternoon, I was sitting at a common coffee store, tapping away at my laptop when I made the decision to consider a break to see what was going on outdoors. As I looked up, I noticed a man and his daughter in the square in front of the coffee store where I was sitting. He was proudly teaching her to roller skate, she wobbly with hesitation, he stoic and confident for her. She created it a handful of feet on her personal before she reached for him once more. Results.

A further day, I stopped for lunch at a smaller noodle store. Due to the fact it was immediately after the lunch rush, there have been only a handful of folks scattered at tables all over the shop eating their noodles or patiently waiting for their buy to arrive. The shop was quiet except for the gentle schwop of noodles staying sucked up as persons ate. I quickly added my personal schwop to the tune, generating music in the silence.

At evening, I often hear the clack-a-clack of a common dice game played at the bars mixed in with the rhythms of the music enjoying on the sound procedure and the enthusiastic chattering of the Chinese patrons who have come to unwind with buddies. Often I test to bridge the gap by giving a stilted sentence in Chinese to the subsequent table. I normally get an appreciative smile in return.

ABOUT THE Author

Nancy Lewis is a freelance author and traveler, at this time living in Shanghai, China. You can study a lot more about her adventures on her blog site Wandering Solo.

[“Going Up” by Adam Chang/Flickr “Noodle Shop” by Jasmine Park/Flickr “Shanghai Food Market” by Abby’s Mom/Flickr]