Full Emergence

Throughout my travels i have discovered that the most important thing to do in order to completely emerge yourself into a different culture is to leave your past behind. Turn your phone off, say good-bye to your friends and family, leave your favorite foods and your designer shoes at home. Shop in the markets, bargain with the store owners, wear the clothes of the local people, eat their food, use their showers. During my travels I left behind the two things that i believe connect me most to my world at home; my cell phone and my twin sister. My cell phone is very important to me because it keeps me connected to my friends and family and keeps me updated on whats going on in my community, but it also allows me to tell others what is going on in my life. My twin sister is a second half of myself. The two of us do everything together and we share the same friends. Leaving those two important things behind allowed me to shave off two layers of my home life and allowed me to completely emerge in the communities in which i stayed. I was able to spend time talking with the people and learning about their everyday lives in these communities and then experience it for myself. Once i learned enough about these people and experience first hand how they live i was able to work side by side with them to better their community, through teaching them English or building them bunk-beds to sleep in. Fully emerging yourself in the culture makes it easier and 100% more rewarding when you do service because you can understand what the people truly need and give them what they want to better their communities and simplify their lives.