Fish Out of Water

I feel like I have landed myself in a group of very non-like minded folks.

The only American
The most annoying person that I met in my two years of backpacking was a German guy who started out the conversation by telling me that I had no idea what it like to be from Germany, a country that will never be forgiven for its past. I retorted that he has no idea what it is like to be from a country that will never be forgiven for its present. (Yes, it was a great start to a very brief travel companionship).

Every once in a while I meet someone who delights in belittling the United States and me as an American. The one Brit on the four-person evaluation team (of which I am the only Yank) is really getting a kick out of taking easy shots at the US, which then of course begins a long conversation on all the negatives of the US. I am the first person to provide rational criticism of my own government, but when outsiders take easy pot shots it’s just tacky.

The only non-direct budget support expert
This assignment is an interesting learning experience, but I am feeling a bit like a fish out of water as it is a huge learning curve, but I guess that is one of the advantages of doing “cross-cutting” work – I get to learn about different sectors.

The only feminist (aka self-respecting woman)?
At dinner just now, one of the expat project staff was asking about the lifestyle of an international consultant. I told him about my sometimes crazy (and sometimes not) schedule. “Your life will change when you have children. You will be happy to stay in America” said one Ethiopian at the table. This did not surprise me, even from a highly educated and interesting Ethiopian that I really like – after all, this is a country where the average age of marriage is 13 and half of girls are married by abduction. What amazed me was that everyone around the table readily agreed! The other expats are mostly Brits and they are just so old fashioned, including the one twenty-something woman. Good thing that I am the one evaluating the gender component of the project!

Ahh to be back in Afghanistan surrounded by like-minded people. Okay, maybe not, but at least the other expats that I met out there were cool – and one in particular.