Fitting In

Three days in and today I put my observations to the test.  My ultimate goal is to be walking around and have someone stop and ask me for directions. I think then it will seem as though I have slipped into the culture and look like I belong. Right now I feel as though I stick out like a dove amongst crows...

What I have learned so far: 

1. Keep my head down as to not be bewildered by the fascinating sights that surround me.  Make it seem like I have seen everything a thousand times and nothing is new to me EVEN THOUGH IT IS!!  I will leave the sightseeing for when I am not wondering around by myself. Which brings me to my next point.

2. Even if I have NO idea where I am...make it look like I do! This will take the touristy look away when I look like I know where I am going.  For example: I was searching for The Food Emporium yesterday and, for the love, couldn’t find it.  What is the acceptable number of times one can walk by people eating breakfast at a café before they start to notice my ignorance?  I tried not to find out but I am sure by the third pass, they started to notice.  Anyway, every time I stopped to look at my phone for directions I tried to make it look like I was just checking a text or something (even though most people just keep walking when they do that). It was hard to discreetly look for what street I was on to try and figure out where I was, but I finally found the grocery store.  

3.  Don’t buy more than you can carry.  Ha! So on Tuesday, Adam and I traveled an hour northeast to go to Costco and Target to buy things for our tinsee winsee apartment carrying an empty backpack and an empty brief case to hold all of our groceries. It was all well and good until I started to notice how heavy the CART was just pushing it around the store.  Well, this was a good lesson to learn after an exhausting journey back home. My backpack was filled with thirty pounds (I swear!) of stuff and Adam carried a packed brief case for the 2 mile walk and 5 mile subway ride during rush hour. We were exhausted after we got home only then to find out that Food Emporium was seriously 2 blocks away...Daaaaa!!

4.  Finally, if I am going to fit in around here I have to start looking like I do.  So...I don’t smile when I am walking, I try to walk as fast as I can weaving in and out of the crowds, and to top it off I have my headphones in as to look like I am completely indifferent from what is going on around me.  People live in such anonymity around here. They are all walking quickly with their heads down with their headphones in (like what I am trying to execute), or talking into their headset. I was listening to my iPod while walking and the battery died!  Did I take out my headphones?  Nope...just kept walking!!!  

I am really enjoying it though. There is so much to see, smell, and laugh at :)