Living Life in a Glass House

When you move to a new culture you will soon discover the “Glass House” Phenomenon. You are now a novelty. You are new, you are different, and everyone wants to see how you do things. It can feel as though you are under a microscope.

It showed up in a few ways for me, like picking up after my dog on a walk, taking a special interest in the food I would make, or watching me clean. People would ask me why I would wear “those” shoes out of the house. Sometimes, after they chuckled at my expense, they would show me the real way to do it.

I must admit, being an independent introvert, this was sometimes very draining and frustrating. All I wanted was a little normalcy, yet I couldn’t get it. Sometimes I would even second guess myself. Am I being culturally sensitive? How did I mess up saying that? Should I have not bought that much fruit? Am I scaring people with my dog? I could easily feel insecure or defensive that I was being watched so closely. Every detail of my life seemed to be on display.

Other times, it was a blessing. Even if I struggled with the language, I always had people around to help me. I remember one time someone was trying to ask me if I wanted scrambled eggs. I had no idea what they were saying so we played a game of charades until we were on the same page. People were there help me in the market, find a plumber or watch my dog.

Some of these people became lifelong friends. At first, I felt like the weird stranger but after time we were hanging out as friends and having deep conversations. I was baby-sitting their kids, playing games, and teaching each other about our own unique cultures.

Even now, I look back fondly and miss that community. I still laugh at stories about trying to understand each other and the times I accidently did something culturally inappropriate. They gently helped me, and I value the good times we had together.

It was hard, especially at the beginning, but it was so worth it.