What we learn from others- A reflective piece.

From my experience, most of the people who venture into the unknown are usually searching for something, whether it be subconscious or completely known to them. It is a common idea that travelling will ignite inspiration, spiritual awareness, wisdom and or knowledge... Or just satisfy ones curiosity of the world- 'On the Road' by Kerouac says it all. We who have this 'travel bug' desire to be immersed in completely new environments, with alternative ways of living, differing cultures and traditions and the simple stimulation that new sounds, tastes, sights and smells can bring. What we observe and gain from these experiences is often acquired on a deeper level and only upon reflection, can we see what we learn from our journeying. 

For personal development, I believe, travel it is highly valuable. Anyone who has been faced the challenge of a language barrier or cultural misunderstanding will (hopefully) experience some kind of growth from that process... And getting comfortable the idea of 'uncertainty' is generally a positively zen thing as the concept never leaves us in life. Life will always be unpredictable so why not grab it by the reins and take it for a ride- to the other side of the world- where you don't know anyone or anything. Learn. 

Something I recently learnt from a new friend has been invaluable to me in my growing process living here in Switzerland. Through a Couchsurfing forum, I made friends with Swiss born-and-bred local who has been studying English so he can move to America for work. Once or twice a week we meet for language exchange where he teaches me basic german phrases and pronunciation and I converse with him in English about anything- what we have been doing, what we enjoy etc. But this week it got deep. We had a meaningful conversation about people in our lives and our relationships. When I told him a story of someone who was not willing to forgive me, he used one word that completely made me view the situation in another light. This non-native English speaker, somehow, in the translating process that goes on in his head said- 

"If it were me, and that person were not willing to forgive me, then they are of no value to me". 

Now, the semantics of this one word value, used in this context unveiled a truth to me that I hadn't seen. I'd been so concerned with trying to make amends with my friend by asking for forgiveness, I had forgotten about forgiving myself and the importance of my own happiness. Instead of seeing that this person does not value me enough to forgive me, then ultimately, they should be of no value to me (for my growth and my happiness). We all make mistakes and even if we make them repeatedly, we are all just here trying to learn... People who value us forgive this. My intercultural mini-epiphany :)

Answers always come and they come in strange forms. This one conversation with my Swiss friend not only reminded me of how interesting communication is between natives and non-native speakers of a language, but also the bigger picture. So don't underestimate what someone can teach you, even if the communication isn't fluent... Have patience on your journey, don't expect everything to be smooth sailing, or that you will reach enlightenment or have any crazily good romantic scenarios. Nothing is perfect and everything changes. How bored would we get if it didn't?