Epilogue: Back to normal?

After flying back to Denmark and spending a couple of weeks off with my family, I have now moved back to Copenhagen and taken up residence in a 3 room apartment with a fellow GLOBEr. Now returns the comfort and security of the familiar, through lectures, job-searches, football practice, social arrangements, and old friends. It therefore seems strange to continue this blog, given that my temple-hopping and roadtripping will subside in the coming months, and I contemplated that perhaps this blog had seen its final page. This blog was centered around GLOBE and it has been written for communication, for reflection, and for information, but like a good book, there is no reason to ruin it by making a sequel. An epilogue, however, is in its place:

After bidding my sister farewell at Copenhagen Airport on her travels to India, I was waiting for the Metro when I saw an Asian boy repetitively stare at his ticket and the information screen. He was around my age, with 2 suitcases and a worrying frown, and after making eye contact he gestured hesitantly towards the screen, simultaneously begging for help and terrified of my response. Recalling some of my experiences asking for help in Asia, answered with nothing but an outstretched, waiving hand, I walked over to see if I could help.

He was going to DTU, the technical University northwest of Copenhagen. It was a simple trip - get off at Nørrebro and then hop onto a bus right outside which would take him straight to the door. The Metro ride was 20 minutes, and to break the silence which clearly made him uncomfortable, I actively tried to engage in conversation: He was from South West China, an electrical engineer here for 6 months. He liked spicy food, huajiao-style, was a big badminton fan, and thought I was amazing at Mandarin because I said "ni hao". His English was rusty and stuttering, but he seemed eager to communicate. Come Nørrebro, he thanked me for my help and wished me good luck on my travels. Then he hopped off and disappeared into the confusion of central Copenhagen.

It wasn't till then I realized another traveler was sitting two rows further down, suitcases piled up with her back towards me. A middle-aged Dane politely asked in English where she was going, and after she muttered "Frederiksberg", he nodded and raised two fingers, indicated a further two stops. Apart from the words "now", when the Metro was about to arrive, he didn't utter a single word.

GLOBE has given me a myriad of experiences, but mainly the ability to empathize and relate to people who are foreign to me and to Copenhagen. But all this counts for nothing if I don't use it. The middle-aged man on the Metro wanted to be friendly and welcoming, and his actions spoke clearer than his words, but he still felt limited by a cultural distance he couldn't quite cover. My foreign travels might be over, for now, but my adventures as a more globalized citizen will continue if I choose so. For everyone's benefit, including my own, I hope they do.