One of the 'benefits' of being an 'expat' in a foreign land (eventhough I'm not exactly sure that status really applies to me :s) is to always have the benefit of doubt, coming from other people of course ;)....not sure with what I'm saying? I'll go on to explain it then.
Let's say for example that you're on your usual routine of waking up in the morning, having a more than quick breakfast (if you have the luck to have it), and drive on the way to your work. Just when entering the office building you notice a strange fellow passing dressed with an implecable outfit, but with a Viking hat (yeah, you know..the one with the goat horns and all that). Undoubtly your first have a stare in your eyes that would look something like this ****, followed by the ironic gossiping of the somewhat perturbed fellow with the funny hat with that other colleague of yours you just meet at the front office. Now, imagine that your colleague replies 'Well yeah, this guy was just released from the mental institution a couple of days ago'. Having said that, your grey stuff goes back to its normal state of mind and you don't mind too much about the recent event...because in the end, the guy was just crazy, so he had to right to behave as he wants and not be really judged for what he did. Great excuse right?
Without going to the extremes, I can say that being foreing in this land has given me this kind of 'special' status, where sometimes I am allowed to behave/say/do/etc etc below or beyond the normal 'social rules' of Belgian society :). Of course no theory can be explained withour practice, so here go some anecdotes where I exercised as much as possible my foreign mojo:
1) "Do you guys always dance that that close?"
"Yes of course, that's how we do it in Southamerica, you're actually a bit too far, come closer.."
Me with unkown girls while dancing, leaving a separation of less that 1cm between eachother, and with both hands on the lower back side of the lady (in my bachelor times of course)
2) "Bla bla bla" (Person coming to me in the street asking for money, directions, donations, etc)
"Ik spreek geen nederlands / Je parle pas français"
Me answering that I don't understand them, and if they ask
"Do you speak english?"
" Me speak only spanish" - Is my usual reply
3) "Are you a spanish speaker "
"Yes I am"
"Nice! I've been to Spain a couple of times"
"Poor you! don't worry, we all make mistakes in life"
A stare like this **** draws in the other person's face normally, to which I have to always clear out that I'm peruvian and not spanish.
"Oh, so is there a big different in language and culture?"
"Of course, we're the improved version :"
People buy it the whole time ;)
More examples to come soon...
