In the interest of integrity — the title to this post is slightly misleading.
I’ve been reading up on clickbait and I’m just trying to stay current.
Click here to catch up: 33 Clickbait Headlines for Expats — Number 12 Will Make You Gasp
The full truth is the camel (actual picture above) was only a child when he changed my life AND he was not the sole life-changer. There were others. A black pleather book bag, some cheap wooden shoes, and a one peso coin from the Phillippines, just to name a few.
Here’s a question: If you’re a global person, how did you get that way?
You’ve had this experience, right? Home for the summer. Meet somebody new (feel free to change the proper nouns) . . .
“Hey, I’m Bob.”
“Hey Bob, I’m Jerry.”
“Nice to meet you Jerry, where ya’ from?”
“Uhhhh . . . well . . . I was born in Illinois but now I live in China.”
“CHINA!!! WAHHH. I could NEVER do that.”
I have “literally” had some variation of this conversation one billion times. So if there are so many people who could NEVER do this, what is it about YOU? What makes you so different than the normal people?
And maybe more importantly, can you put “literally” in quotes like that?
The reality is that we’ve all got a different story that led us here. For some, it was a blinding Damascus zap that dramatically reset your trajectory in one afternoon. For others, it was more of a decades-long yearning that finally came true.
Regardless, if you have never sat and processed the previous chapters in your book (that is still being written) . . . you should.
I’ll go first, but as I do — HERE ARE FOUR QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED.
WHEN DID IT START?
When did you first start showing an interest in global things?
This is where the camel comes in for me. He was a gift from my grandparents who had traveled to the other side of the planet and stopped off to see the pyramids along the way. They weren’t what I would call “travel savvy” but they knew better than to come home without some souvenirs for the grandkids.
Click here to read: The Day Grandma Got Us Kicked Out of Mexico
I know now from my own experience with airport gift-shop, guilt purchases how the trinkets made their way to my cousins, my siblings and me.
I also know roughly how much they cost.
None of that mattered when I was five. They might as well have been The Crown Jewels or the Holy Grail or a real camel. I was giddy.
I didn’t notice it then but I loved those things more than anyone else did. I thought we were all as excited as I was. They just thought I was weird.
WHAT TWEAKED YOU?
What experiences stirred your global interest?
I vividly remember riding home on the bus and digging through my new bag (Mom’s yard sale find). It was cheap, used, fake leather with a tag that rocked my world.
“Made in Taiwan.”
Endorphins must have blasted my 2nd-grade brain because I could paint you a picture of that exact moment to this day. I leaped off the bus, ran inside and screamed, “MOM! MOM! LOOK AT THIS!!”
Her response was underwhelming.
“Uh, honey, everything is made in Taiwan.”
Cynic.
It was still a big day for me.
Other world-rocking experiences include but are not limited to:
- Scrounging through my Grandfathers WW2 memories.
- Meeting a real live foreign exchange student from a whole other country.
- National Geographic Magazine.
- Eating Taco Bell for the first time (don’t even try to steal my joy).
WHO WERE THEY?
What people expanded your horizons?
A missionary to the Phillippines handed me a one peso coin at the Mt. Zion General Baptist Church which was located 30 miles into a cornfield in any direction. I was 6 and it was the first time I had touched non-U.S. currency. Another moment imprinted on my brain.
My Grandpa told me one story about meeting a Chinese boy in the war . . . 14 times.
My wife had spent 6 months in Taiwan before we ever met. She acted like it was no big deal. It so was.
WHAT ARE YOU GIVING BACK?
How are you influencing the next generation of global people?
Not everyone gets excited about global things. That makes no sense to me but I’ve finally come to realize that I’m the weird one.
I’m good with that but every once in a while another weird, younger version of me pops up.
The kids that go bug-eyed when they find out where we live.
The ones that ask, “how do you spell my name in Chinese?”
The high-seas adventurers who feel like they’ve struck gold when they get their first set of chopsticks.
Consider this a challenge to simply keep an eye out for those golden moments and be willing to hang out there for a bit. That’s a solid investment in the future of global people.
Alright — I went first. What’s your story? Why are you the way you are?
Takes some time and think about it. Comment below.
