I believe this writing piece was meant to happen, sooner or
later. All it needed was some inspiration and genuine faith in what I was about
to communicate. So, what was that source of inspiration that pushed me into
writing this piece?
The inspirational source is an account of a blogger, who
resides in Helsinki (the Finnish capital city). The account starts on a grim
note where the author seems to curse the city for making her look somber.
Apparently, the author learned from fellow outsiders (like her) that she must
not show any trace of emotion on her face or else city residents will consider
her as insane.
She feels less welcomed in this otherwise very meticulous
city. She is perplexed by the frosty behaviour of the people of this land. She
intends to seek some answers that might help her understand the city better and
reduce the agony that she is undergoing at the moment.
Reading through the first couple of paragraphs itself, I am
able to relate to the feelings that this author is experiencing. When you are
in a new city where you know just handful of people, your views of the city is
limited by what that group tells you. It is best to explore the city on own by
connecting with local communities, going to meet-ups and doing observations on
and off. The author here also tried to connect with an outsider-local with the
hope to get a glimpse into life of an outsider into this city. The outsider
local talks about how an act of humility can make difficult people a little
less difficult to deal and live with. Read
the article and think whether humility has the power to bring about a gradual
change.
https://medium.com/@shivonnedub/jesus-christ-in-helsinki-67e8f71c29de
After going through the article completely, I paused and
began to reflect about the people I am surrounded by presently.
Couple of months back, I came into a new country,
“Switzerland”. Before coming to Switzerland, I was also warned sufficiently by
people alike, “that don’t indulge in talks as residents don’t like talking so
much”… essentially they are quite people and so its better to be reserved. Ensure not to make eye contacts and pass facial gestures to city people, they
might take it as an offence. With these preconceived thoughts, I descended into
this country.
As, I walked down my neighbourhood streets, I heard people
greeting me. Though I couldn’t understand the word but the tone, manner and
facial gestures said it all. In-fact they were greeting me… They were saying "Gruezi"
(a Swiss German way of saying hello to people). Unlike now, earlier I shook my
head in response. Initially, I thought that perhaps humble neighbours who want
me to instantly feel at home surrounds me. But soon, I realised that it is an
etiquette practiced effortlessly almost across Switzerland.
Greeting
is perhaps simplest act of gesture that we can perform hassle free, but rarely
people indulge in this priceless act. It’s a quick start to interrupt silence
(especially when parties are starring at one another with the hope to
communicate). Obviously in my case, simple exchange of customary hello had no
attached outcomes as such other than making me feel at home away from home.
The
Swiss humility doesn’t end at the greeting exchanges but goes beyond…
Language
is not an impediment in Switzerland as Swiss generally speak good English. But
sometimes, it’s not the language that acts as hindrance but it is newness of
the place itself. Not being able to locate a place/building/area is a common
problem that many people experience when they land into a new country. After a
good thorough research and with the help of Google map, I sat into one of the
buses bound to the desired place. My destination was nowhere closer to bus station; it was further deeper. The Google map didn’t provide sufficient
information as to where that place exactly could be. With some clues and help
from the Google map, I asked one of the strangers on the bus stop whether he
was aware of any place like that. The stranger, looked at my Google Map and
then said, “let me walk you there”. I insisted that if he could explain the
place, I would be able to locate on my own. Honestly, on road, you don’t want
to look/appear vulnerable. The stranger then said, “I am waiting for the bus to
come that takes a route similar to yours. There is another bus stop near to the
place you are looking for. So, I can come along with you and catch a bus from
that bus stop. It’s no problem”. I was completely blown away by this humble
stranger. His words (though not physically implied) made me feel safe. On the
way, I chit chatted with this stranger and asked what he does for living. We
also shared laughter when I did tell him that, it’s hard to get an appointment
from a Carpenter. Yes, he was a part time carpenter and an electrician too.
The hardest part of living in Switzerland is the cost
factor. But no body seems to complain so much. A probable answer could be
its people that are respectful and warm. Not sure if this is going to last forever but currently it looks like Samaritans have descended (all
at once) at one place…
Khushboo
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