As I sit here on a Qatar Airways flight heading to Amman, Jordan with a layover in Doha, Qatar, I can’t help think back to one of the main reasons why I chose to study abroad: to challenge myself; to change me. It’s not that I don’t like who I am, it’s just that, in my opinion, traveling and immersing oneself in a foreign culture only has positive outcomes. It allows you to discover things about yourself that you wouldn’t otherwise know, and it transforms you into a much more informed, tolerant person. Besides, who doesn’t like to get to know new places? Nonetheless, I also have to ask myself, how will this experience change me? How will the person I am and my identity influence my experience abroad?
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, so Latin American culture and customs are ingrained in my life. Surprisingly, there are many things in common between Arabs and Latinos, and this is a topic often discussed by my Arab friends and I. From incredible hospitality and a love for sharing to moms that throw flip flops (and anything at reach) with pinpoint accuracy, there are striking similarities considering that we’re on opposite sides of the world. In that aspect, that gives me the advantage of having a point of connection between myself and the people I meet during my time abroad.
While I was reading about Middle Eastern customs and tips when traveling to the region, something else I realized could give me an advantage in certain situations is being a religious person. I’m not super religious by any means, but the simple fact of believing in God is enough to make my life easier in certain situations. The tip I read said that, if a conversation goes towards the topic of religion, an atheist might have a harder time navigating through. It’s not that Arabs are intolerant or anything like that, it’s just that the vast majority of Arabs follow Islam, and denying the existence of God can touch a sensitive subject. This is not exclusive of Muslims though, the same thing can happen with Christians, Jews, and pretty much every religion. With the Middle East being at the center of the world’s three largest religions, it is most likely that I will address the topic at least once while talking to locals.
However, not everything I have is an advantage. One of the things that may be a disadvantage for me during my stay in the Arab world is the way I’m used to greet people, especially women. In Latin American culture, it is the norm to greet everyone (both males and females) with hugs, and in the case of greetings between men and women it almost always includes a kiss touching the cheeks. Due to the many years I’ve been exposed to this custom, it constitutes the way I automatically say “hello” to a person, even if I just met them. I am completely aware of the fact that in the Middle East the attitudes between men and women are very different from those present in Latin America, and I will definitely keep that in mind at all times while in the region. Despite of that, though, there is always the chance that I will forget in the spark of the moment and proceed to greet the way I am used to, which could probably be seen as something disrespectful when all I’m actually doing is proceeding the way I have always done so.
It is true that going abroad, and especially for such a long time, does come with its challenges. There will be uncomfortable moments, moments in which one might feel helpless, and everything in between. Nonetheless, all this things do nothing but strengthen one’s character. In the months before my departure many people told me “be careful with the influences you might see, don’t change who you are.” These comments didn’t really affect me though, because I was very clear that what I am going to experience is not something that will change me for the worse, it’s something that will make me grow as a person, and make me more aware of my own identity, of others’, and of how to respect them.
Stay tuned for further updates!