Big Fish

In my small Indonesian village, I’m kind of a big deal. People I don’t know greet me by name every day. It’s kind of strange. I’m a big fish in a small pond, and that kind of power is attractive and really seductive. It’s a kind of celebrity status, and I’m really enjoying it.

But like Ben Parker once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The community expects a lot from me. They seem to assume that because I’m American, I know how to do everything. That simply is not true. But sometimes that expectation pushes me to do things I’ve never done before and with a bit of practice, I actually can do anything.

I recently came across this question about capacity and perseverance:

“How would you behave if you were the best in the world at what you do?” – Maria Forleo

I like to think I’m behaving well. I try to be as culturally appropriate as possible with few exceptions. For example, it’s a huge cultural faux pas to eat while standing, let alone walking, but I still eat my apple while walking around the teachers’ office. I’m hungry, and I’ve got places to go!

Otherwise, it’s been a great learning experience. My American status has afforded me the reputation of being an expert at practically everything. While that can be unfair at times, it has also forced me out of my reserved shell. The people here believe in me. It’s so obvious. I worry sometimes that when I come back home to America, who will believe in me so willingly? Will the skills I’ve cultivated here transfer to my American lifestyle? It’s easy to feel superhuman here because people treat me as superhuman. I just hope I can continue that back home.