One thing I am really looking forward to about going home is knowing the rules.
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One thing I am really looking forward to about going home is knowing the rules. I find it exhausting being constantly unaware of what the right/polite thing is to do. Yesterday children said hello to me when I walked past them in the street and it baffled me so much, but later I realised people just DO say hi to strangers here. Going into a shop, the greeting was not what I expected and it threw me. If questions are in the wrong order I fuck up the conversation.
This is fascinating to me, because when I am in England I am much more worried about The Rules as I am clearly expected to know them. When I go abroad, however, I relax more because I am clearly not expected to know The Rules, having not grown up there. If I get Told Off, I apologise in stilted [language] and then it's all fine.
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This is fascinating to me, because when I am in England I am much more worried about The Rules as I am clearly expected to know them. When I go abroad, however, I relax more because I am clearly not expected to know The Rules, having not grown up there. If I get Told Off, I apologise in stilted [language] and then it's all fine.
@PetraPhoenix ah shit maybe this is something England has infected me with? I do think it got worse after I lived in Japan too - they also have a big thing for The Rules and I once got told off in a way that was v traumatic, so I think it’s reinforced the idea that I need to be right/not take up space etc.
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@girlonthenet @RolloTreadway unfamiliar bus/tram/etc system are always a worry. Do I tell the driver where I'm going because the prices differ, or is it flat rate? Cash, card, or do I need to have obtained a special contactless card somewhere and charged it up already?
@kitten_tech @RolloTreadway YES. I’ve got an Airbnb place booked for my final destination and in their info pack they include ALL the useful info about public transport and I hadn’t realised how worried I was till that weight got taken from my mind!!
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Like, even just the basic things take a lot of mental energy. Today I’m staying in a hostel that has free breakfast (woo!). But when I go down, it’s not clear if there’s a designated place I should sit, if I should give my name to someone before I grab a plate, what I should do with my plate when I’m finished. All these things are land mines because what if I get them wrong? Then I might get Told Off and that gives me the dreads.
@girlonthenet Ha ha ! So I’m not alone to struggle with this
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@PetraPhoenix ah shit maybe this is something England has infected me with? I do think it got worse after I lived in Japan too - they also have a big thing for The Rules and I once got told off in a way that was v traumatic, so I think it’s reinforced the idea that I need to be right/not take up space etc.
Oof, yeah, being Told Off like that is bound to have an effect!
We (those socialised female) are taught not to take up space from a very early age in our culture, and so we are trying to undo a whole lifetime of programming.I am incredibly impressed by your adventure though, especially considering the number of unknowns you'll have faced! That's properly brave!!
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Oof, yeah, being Told Off like that is bound to have an effect!
We (those socialised female) are taught not to take up space from a very early age in our culture, and so we are trying to undo a whole lifetime of programming.I am incredibly impressed by your adventure though, especially considering the number of unknowns you'll have faced! That's properly brave!!
@PetraPhoenix ah thank you! Tbh it doesn’t feel brave when I plan it, cos it’s all abstract, but as time has gone on I’ve been quite pleased with what I’ve achieved!
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@PetraPhoenix ah thank you! Tbh it doesn’t feel brave when I plan it, cos it’s all abstract, but as time has gone on I’ve been quite pleased with what I’ve achieved!
Good! You should be so very proud of yourself! Bumping out of a comfort zone and doing something like this is something to celebrate, and I hope you spend some time acknowledging your accomplishment!
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@PetraPhoenix ah shit maybe this is something England has infected me with? I do think it got worse after I lived in Japan too - they also have a big thing for The Rules and I once got told off in a way that was v traumatic, so I think it’s reinforced the idea that I need to be right/not take up space etc.
@girlonthenet @PetraPhoenix Oh god, I was *so* nervous about breaking social rules when I was in Japan. But they seemed very forgiving of foreigners, at least to our faces. The only time we got slightly odd looks was when we had to take an unexpected flight due to the Shinkansen being taken out by an earthquake, and we were the only foreigners on a flight full of Salarymen
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Like, even just the basic things take a lot of mental energy. Today I’m staying in a hostel that has free breakfast (woo!). But when I go down, it’s not clear if there’s a designated place I should sit, if I should give my name to someone before I grab a plate, what I should do with my plate when I’m finished. All these things are land mines because what if I get them wrong? Then I might get Told Off and that gives me the dreads.
@girlonthenet oof, Fear of The Dreads is a mood
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Like, even just the basic things take a lot of mental energy. Today I’m staying in a hostel that has free breakfast (woo!). But when I go down, it’s not clear if there’s a designated place I should sit, if I should give my name to someone before I grab a plate, what I should do with my plate when I’m finished. All these things are land mines because what if I get them wrong? Then I might get Told Off and that gives me the dreads.
@girlonthenet This kind of thing is what makes travel so tiring for me as a partially sighted person. This kind of confusion just feels multipled because I "look normal" but I'm missing out on so much.
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One day I will open a pub that caters specifically to anxious people, neurospicy types, foreign guests and others who might not Know The Unwritten Rules. I will write all the rules, in all languages, and have audio buttons for those who might need ‘em too. Every scrap of info, plus photos and diagrams of the place, will be available on the website to check. There will be menus with picture you can point to if you don’t know how to ask. We will all Know The Rules and thus be able to relax.
@girlonthenet Yeah, that sounds so great.
A pub for Mastodon people. You seem to be so considerate about making people feel comfortable and assessing what they need. -
Like, even just the basic things take a lot of mental energy. Today I’m staying in a hostel that has free breakfast (woo!). But when I go down, it’s not clear if there’s a designated place I should sit, if I should give my name to someone before I grab a plate, what I should do with my plate when I’m finished. All these things are land mines because what if I get them wrong? Then I might get Told Off and that gives me the dreads.
@girlonthenet
This is me as well. I've been known to not do something/take something I'm entitled to, just because I don't want to transgress some unwritten rule and be Told Off, or worse (much worse), ridiculed. *sigh* -
One thing I am really looking forward to about going home is knowing the rules. I find it exhausting being constantly unaware of what the right/polite thing is to do. Yesterday children said hello to me when I walked past them in the street and it baffled me so much, but later I realised people just DO say hi to strangers here. Going into a shop, the greeting was not what I expected and it threw me. If questions are in the wrong order I fuck up the conversation.
@girlonthenet Good analysis!
That's exactly what coming home means (or feels like)
known rules, known standards of social interaction, thus reduced stress.I like the unexpected, the weird, the new. For a bit. And then I know what home means for me again.
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One thing I am really looking forward to about going home is knowing the rules. I find it exhausting being constantly unaware of what the right/polite thing is to do. Yesterday children said hello to me when I walked past them in the street and it baffled me so much, but later I realised people just DO say hi to strangers here. Going into a shop, the greeting was not what I expected and it threw me. If questions are in the wrong order I fuck up the conversation.
@girlonthenet
I'm sorry that you feel so uncomfortable and downright scared in unfamiliar surroundings. -
One day I will open a pub that caters specifically to anxious people, neurospicy types, foreign guests and others who might not Know The Unwritten Rules. I will write all the rules, in all languages, and have audio buttons for those who might need ‘em too. Every scrap of info, plus photos and diagrams of the place, will be available on the website to check. There will be menus with picture you can point to if you don’t know how to ask. We will all Know The Rules and thus be able to relax.
@girlonthenet this is cute. it's from "casino", a lefty bar in #berlin.
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@girlonthenet This kind of thing is what makes travel so tiring for me as a partially sighted person. This kind of confusion just feels multipled because I "look normal" but I'm missing out on so much.
@bright_helpings totally get why this makes things exponentially harder! In my magic pub you will be able to email in advance and be like ‘I’m coming in today, here’s what I’m wearing so you can recognise me and show me to a decent table’ or whatever.
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@girlonthenet
This is me as well. I've been known to not do something/take something I'm entitled to, just because I don't want to transgress some unwritten rule and be Told Off, or worse (much worse), ridiculed. *sigh*@Jaimieserotica ugggh I feel you! Though I reckon I could take ten ridicules before I’d cope with a single Telling Off. Brains are so weird.
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@girlonthenet Good analysis!
That's exactly what coming home means (or feels like) known rules, known standards of social interaction, thus reduced stress.I like the unexpected, the weird, the new. For a bit. And then I know what home means for me again.
@drchaos this! Going away is a fun adventure, and it makes you appreciate home!
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