Step 3---You made it! And so...
First thing’s first. There is a good ol' saying from Sierra Leone, that the people always tell the JCs ( a term for
newly arrived visitors, especially those Sierra Leone natives living abroad).
They say "Nah for put u rights nah u pocket." In translation, put
your rights in your pocket. In translation again, forget about all them rights
and rules and essentially all the order that you know to exist in the western
world. It’s a serious thing, though, we laugh at it. But it is one thing I
recommend for travelers. It speaks to the ability to adapt to your local
environment. This will help you stay calm and not become frustrated in certain
situations. Take it easy, take the country for what it is, try hard not to
compare it to what you know and you will be able to get the best experience out
of it. Do I like brushing my buttocks against passengers as I squeeze to
through the cramped aisles to find a seat? No. Do I look forward enduring the
odor of someone’s long day of hard work? Um, not exactly. But do I like paying
only .25 cents to get somewhere? Um, yes. $3.00 to the beach. Um, yes. So
I take it for what it is and sacrifice. Learn how to do this and you are half
way to having a blast! And truly delving into what the country has to offer.
-Check into a hostel, couch-surf, or
stay with a friend in town. Some people look for places to live before hand. I
would recommend crashing somewhere until you are hired or have established an
area that you want to be in. You should get a feel for the country and decide
where you could see yourself living. I stayed at a nice hostel in the older
section of Panama City upon arrival. And I am actually planning to move back
there in a few weeks.
-Once you arrive, ask where you can
get a small/cheap cell phone with a local number. This should be done almost immediately.
-Once you get yourself a number, add
your new local number to your cover letter and resume and then re-send your cover
letter/resume to your list of school contacts. Watch the magic happen!
-Ask about ways to get around and
start checking out the locations of these language schools. Get some copies of
your package printed and then hand deliver them to schools/businesses. This
shows that you are serious and the reality is that down here and in other parts
of the world it is highly likely that you will not get a response via email. I won’t even begin to go in to the
many reasons as to why non-response should be expected.
#aintnobodygottimeforthat
-Be patient. Again. And Again.
-Go out. Meet people. Network. Tell
them what you are doing. Indulge the people who will spend minutes and minutes
talking to you you about how they are investing in some weird project and even
the people who say they have been traveling for 7 months and are just passing
through. Just indulge them. You might learn a thing or to, or find someone with
whom you share similar interested. And besides, you never know what connects
they might have.
-Don't be usin’ all your money
juuuuuust yet. (Yes, I said it like that. It was appropriate)
-Make a list of things/experiences
you want to have while in country.
Deep Ish:
Make a list of what you didn’t come
here to do. And every time you find yourself trippin' look back at that list.
For me, I didn’t come to panama to work excessively, to be
stressed, to have that day-to-day stress of office job-ness and I didn’t come
here to drive. I came here to walk as much as I could and be driven. I also
came here to write more, live more, and self-reflect about how to build my
future.
And so far, I have done those things. I’ll be honest and
say that I do get stressed, but it’s a different kind of stressed than when I
was in the States. I have had a lot of time to do just those things. However, I
am almost ready for what’s next. Stay tuned.
But in the mean time, start your own journey.
Get back to Y.O.U. (Your Own Unfulfilled dreams)
Just G.O (Get Out!)
And
LIVE!
