A lot could go wrong during my upcoming travels from Namibia to
Alaska. Let’s say I get stuck in the Anchorage airport overnight, and
I need to borrow a passerby’s cell phone, to let my parents know. This
worries me.
I forget how to talk to Americans.
Because here, I would have to first greet. It’s disarming, in a
good way. “Hi, how are you?” It proves that I care about you. I’m not
just there for business.
In the States, getting right down to business was, in itself, the
way to prove you care about someone. You know their time is valuable
and you don’t want to waste it on small-talk or a superfluous
greeting.
When I lived in the U.S., I’m pretty sure if someone walked up to
me and said, “Hi, how are you?” I would think, “Okay, what charity are
you trying to get me to donate to?” Or I’d think, “Are you about to
ask me if I know what my eternal destination is?”
…Is that just me? Am I the only one who would get suspicious if
someone walked up and opened with “Could I talk to you for a few
minutes?”?
I don’t know how to talk to people anymore…. Especially when it
comes to approaching strangers: I don’t want to put them on edge. I
don’t want to be rude. I don’t want to scare them away.
“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you, but I’ve been living in Africa for
the past year, so I don’t have a cell phone, and now I missed my
flight, so my family will be waiting for me — do you mind if I use
yours? I would offer to pay for the minutes I use, but I also don’t
have any American money. Would that be okay? Also, are you saved?”
Anyone reading this who could advise me on how to make this
transition? You’re more than welcome to offer suggestions.
I have found that men are the best targets… especially if you are wearing a dress. As a matter of fact, when I wear a dress more men say hello, open the door, offer to take me to dinner, etc. A mere cell phone call would be a piece of cake. With that in mind, remember to put on a bit of eyeliner and lipgloss (for that pouty, stranded look) and a whimsical-Kate-Winslett-do.
I hate to be so superficial, but it is America, after all.
This post kind of made me laugh. Mostly because I went without a cell phone til I was a junior in college, so I am a champ at bumming cell phones. There are a few ways you could do this, but for all of them, I would say to try to find someone who looks deeply bored (not hard to do in an airport!) and casually sit sit near them, pretending to mind your own business. Option one would be the phony forgetful option. You pretend to rummage through your stuff for your phone, realize you do not have it, cry to the heavens “Shoot! I forgot my phone!” and then turn to the person next to you and ask to use their phone. Option two is to find a bored person, sit next to them, ask where they are coming from/headed to, mention you are coming from the Peace Corp, so don’t have a phone, so could you possibly borrow theirs? Option three is to ask someone who works at the airport if there is a pay phone. Haha, hope this helps! Or makes you laugh. Possibly both!
My vote is for your approach; to express you past year and no phone. You will do just fine being yourself. Even if you do not need to borrow a phone; try it just for the experience and let us know how it goes.
lofl,
pop
Marjorie has some good ideas. You could always ask your parents to meet you in Anchorage and avoid the whole problem… Ha.
Hey Candy, leave the parents out of this! Happy Advent to you.
I think Marjorie’s advice is excellent!
But my advice is to use the Calling Card we sent you. Sheeesh. And remember, don’t talk to strangers. Unless they aren’t as strange as you, or seem less strange than your emergency, or are relatively un-strange compared to whoever else might be hanging around, etc.
Or you could wear a sign around your neck -
I’m in the Peace Corps.
Been living in Africa for the past year.
Don’t have a cell phone.
Trying to get home.
Help!
Enjoy the journey.
Now Deb that is a very creative idea but I can’t have my daughter walking around this big dangerous world with a big sign saying “Help”. That’s almost the same as a sign that says something like: “I’m defenseless and my Dad is so far away that he can’t protect me from whoever tries to take advantage of my situation.” I might be over-reacting to this. A little.
Call me and I will let you know!!
We are all smiling! We can hardly wait for you to arrive in Homer (however you manage to get here) and share more of your stories. Even though you haven’t heard from some of us, we have been following your adventure and holding you in our prayers. Blessings!
Sarah,
Darrell says not to sweat the small stuff.
Several years ago while waiting in a Seattle mall, Darrell said, “Hi,” to everyone who passed him; only one person returned his greeting and that was a black man who hurried on past.
A few days later while waiting in a mall in Rapid City, SD, Darrell tried the same thing. Everyone returned his greeting and most stopped to talk to him!
I like your idea.
See you soon!
Is this a serious blog post? You’ve been gone a little over a year, after having spent better then 23 years in America. This just reads insincere and over dramatic. Get a grip.
Me no speak English good anymore.
Hey Sarah,
My bet is David can not wait to hear you speak any language!
I gotta say that the phone calls I dread most at work are the ones who begin with an extended greeting. Isn’t that terrible! Those calls are
A) telemarketers, and so easy to get rid of, or
B) someone interested in the place and going to be very chatty, which means I’ll place them on hold a ton so I can help other people, and
who invariably won’t actually commit to anything after taking up all my time.
Plus, I could never answer the question, ‘and how are you today’ honestly at work, c’mon now.
Hope your connection went thru without a hitch!