This is part 3 of a four part series, in which I chastise myself for past experiences and give advice on fixing myself for future travels. Yes, I can give myself advice without being crazy. If you’d like to catch up, you can read:
Cultural Idiot Lesson #3: Participate
I’m a habitual watcher.
My nerd cred goes back up with this.
I love people watching, dog watching, whale watching, girl watching. I’ve never tried bird watching because it seems like if you wanted to do that, you could just grab some day old bread, sit in a park and let the birds come to you. When you add in binoculars and ornithology books, it knocks even ME down a few rungs on the nerd ladder.
As a somewhat shy solo traveler it’s easy to spend too much time on the sidelines, worried that people might judge me or rebuff me in some way. The fear of rejection when you’re on your own can be pretty daunting. To make things worse, I’m also a card-carrying non-conformist. Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t actually carry a card because that would be the opposite of being a non-conformist. The point is, I generally avoid anything that’s been done by millions of people before me, whether it’s watching Avatar or using dental floss.
» Read more: Confessions of A Cultural Idiot Pt. 3 – Participate
