Thinking about traveling to your first country?
I guess there’s a first time for everything. first time you walk, first time you ride a bike, the first time you drive a car, the first time you move out of your house and the first time you travel to another country. Welcome to Farangdam.com, I don’t want to go too deep into but this as you can see a blog where I will share my experiences as “black” people living in Asia, specifically Thailand.
Ignorance is bliss…
We all have common perceptions and stereotypes about other races and nationalities. We are merely products of our environment. At a young age we are taught to learn various things about ourselves and the rest of the world.
The biggest influences in our early life are our parents, close family & friends and teachers. We believe just about anything our parents tell us as kids without little to no questioning the validity. Next, our close family & Friends. We have our close family like aunts and uncles who, just like parents we absorb a majority of what they show us and tell us. Though, the exception is we do like to check with our parents about the validity of what we were told if were not sure. Friends are our equals. Sharing ideas and opinions, justifying and debating whats accurate and whats incorrect.
We take what we learned from our experiences and share them with people of similar background. Finally the teacher, the all important mentor, the educator. Teachers are our stepping stone to becoming successful thinking intellectuals as a teachers main goal is too broaden ones horizon.
Known unknowns and unknown unknowns.
However, we are not taught about the best education out there and I’m not talking about a masters at Harvard. The best way to educate ourselves about other lives, cultures and societies is to travel. Traveling is by far the best way to learn about life and how others live. It gives you another perspective and allows you to grow as an individual. Traveling will really broaden your horizon and teach you to think outside the box. This can maybe make us see something from another point of view we wouldn’t otherwise have seen if we’d never traveled. Trying food you never heard of or witnessing events you never knew existed is what its all about. There are traditions that are as ancient as ancient times themselves and people who live in societies/communities unaffected by westernization.
What are you waiting for?
There is a first time for everything. It may seem scary at first but with proper research and determination you can and will enjoy yourself. If I could have you take one thing from this article it would be to please by all means don’t let the fear of the unknown stop you from leaving your comfort zone(probably that groove in your sofa chair). You could possibly be missing out on one the greatest life changing experiences in your life. You only live once and just by saying that alone should be enough to get you thinking about what your future holds…
Here is a video I made when I was visiting home after my 1st year teaching in Thailand. I only planned to stay for 6-7 months… Its been 3+ years now!
