Have you confronted different cultural and ethical norms while abroad? How are you managing working with these differences?
During my time in India, I have noticed some cultural and ethical norms that are different to my own. The biggest and most jarring difference would certainly be the traffic. I already mentioned this in an earlier post, but I still struggle with how chaotic it appears. I am getting better at predicting traffic flows and I jump less every time I hear a car blaring its horn at me. Another difference I’ve noticed is that lines at coffee shops or convenience stores are nearly nonexistent. I was getting pushed around trying to order tea and a pastry until I realized I just had to start pushing back and hold my own. Although the chaos can be fun, I do find that I prefer having a more structured line. Some of the other direct culture shock I experienced while on the shakedown, especially seeing the rural villages and farms. The small fields from the terrace farms and seeing goats, cows, and other animals so close was a far cry from what I’m used to back in Pittsburgh.
Other differences I noticed are more subtle. The communication styles can be different and less direct, especially when getting constructive criticism or feedback. Thankfully, they are normally quick to give positive feedback and let us know pretty directly when we were doing things correctly.
Can leaders ever follow other people—or do they always need to lead? Why or why not?
Leaders can absolutely follow others. In fact, I believe that leaders make the best followers. This reflects some of my own leadership tendencies, which are to share the responsibilities of the leadership role, and let others take the lead when they are best suited for the job, and the other members do their best to support that person. Leaders set expectations for their followers, and a good leader will be able to identify the unspoken expectations set by others when they are a follower. This gives them better insight on how to meet or exceed those expectations and help others to do the same.
What are you looking forward to on the upcoming trek? What are your anxieties/concerns and how will you predict addressing these?
I am really looking forward to the trek tomorrow. I had a lot of fun on the shakedown hike, and I can’t wait to get back out on the trails and sleep under the stars again. That said, I am anxious about a lot of things. One of my biggest concerns is that I or someone else will get hurt. This is pretty much inevitable because someone will get blisters, trip, or strain an ankle. I just hope that whatever happens is minor and that we all make it back in one piece. My other major concern is about the weather. I know it will rain or snow at least once, but I just hope that its mostly dry the whole time. We spent a lot of our morning discussing risk management and we are all trained in first aid now and I have faith in my rain gear. My last concern is that our group will struggle and break apart quickly. We already experienced some tension on the shakedown hike, and I anticipate that there will be more fighting and difficulties ahead of us. I just hope that we get through the storms as a stronger team and not more fractured. I am already taking some of the feedback I received from my peers into consideration and will try to be more mindful of how my actions impact the other individuals and ultimately the overall group.
