I have a friend who went abroad a few years for further studies. After her graduation she immediately married her sweetheart in college. Since the groom came from a neighbouring country, she became a permanent resident there.
Twenty years later, the entire family relocated back to her home country for business reasons. It was of course a matter of adjustment for everyone concerned. But it was amusing to note that my friend was the one who found it the most difficult to settle. We would think that it would have been easier for her to get used to her birth country. After all, shouldn't it be whatever the gap is, our country would be part of us and the culture flows in our blood? Apparently not!
Here is an interesting incident to show you her shock. One day she went to the bank. As she was walking back to her car, the man in front of her dropped a wad of notes. Looking at the thickness and the denomination, she can tell at a glance that it was more than a thousand dollars. Before she could react, another man rushed past her and picked it up. He then turned to her and said in even tone,"Fifty - fifty?" She continued walking, speechless! I suppose her body language and facial expression denoted disgust! The dishonest man laughed and said " You are stupid!" and walked off quickly within seconds. She could not yell, she could not say any thing. Within minutes, both men were out of sight.
When I met her the next morning, I could still see that she was upset and the shock might have lessen but it had not completely dissipated. She kept on saying "What would that first guy do after he found his loss?" Well, that's life, baby! He would learn a lesson that may be tough but necessary: one needs to take good care of one's hard earned cash. We cannot expect perfect honesty of our fellow man in a third world culture.
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