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The only option if you want to succeed is to keep trying. A while ago I went to China. After visiting Hong Kong, where I had a few friends who lived there to h

by imgabe 10y ago

The only option if you want to succeed is to keep trying. A while ago I went to China. After visiting Hong Kong, where I had a few friends who lived there to help me out, and the city itself is fairly westernized and friendly to foreigners, I flew directly into Xi'an. Xi'an is where the Terra Cotta warriors are, but despite those being a fairly large tourist attraction, the city itself is very...Chinese. Very few people speak English, and for myself who had never been alone in such a foreign place before it was bewildering. I finally understood the concept of "culture shock". I was only planning to be there for one day, and I wasted most of the morning trying to get a train ticket to Shanghai. It was getting late and I couldn't figure out how to actually get to the place where you could see the Terra Cotta warriors. I'm a naturally shy person and the idea of flagging down a stranger who didn't speak my language and trying to gesticulate and get my point across was terrifying. Still, what it came down to, was that in all likelihood I was never going to be here again in my life. And did I really fly halfway around the frigging world just to get there and NOT go see the damn Terra Cotta warriors? There was no way I could let that happen. So, ultimately, I just got over it, walked up to the first friendly looking person I could find, pointed to the Terra Cotta warriors section in my guidebook (where the name was written in Mandarin) and made some inquisitive noises. He ended up pointing me towards where I could catch the bus, so I got there with plenty of time to see them and make it back to catch my train. I know as far as "adversity" goes it's pretty lame, but it was a big deal for me. What inspired me to persevere was the simple fact that, really, it was the only way to get what I wanted. That's what it comes down to. Do you want the thing you're going after more than you want to avoid the obstacles in the way? If you do, you'll keep going.

clamprecht 10y ago
> I just got over it, walked up to the first friendly looking person I could find, One thing I started doing was to find the least friendly looking person and ask them. Great way to break stereotypes based on looks! Or (in a public place), ask the guy who looks like a gangster. Of course, in a foreign country, you also want to ask the person most likely to speak the language you speak.
toxik 10y ago
I'm trying to learn Mandarin, and I think it gives you _a lot_ of adversity. There is nothing fun in rote learning, but there is also really no way around it when it comes to new languages. A friend of mine speaks it fluently now, and you'll be moderately surprised by his path to success: religiously practicing his routines.
update 10y ago
> What inspired me to persevere was the simple fact that, really, it was the only way to get what I wanted. That's what it comes down to. Do you want the thing you're going after more than you want to avoid the obstacles in the way? If you do, you'll keep going. This is how I go about life no matter what the obstacle. From quitting smoking to making it rich (I've done one of these so far...) "Just do it." It's a pretty simple, definitely hard though & certainly worth it.
javajosh 10y ago
It is good that you recognized a triumph, remember it, and share it with justified pride. The bombastic triumphs depicted in entertainment can desensitize us to the subtle triumphs in real life.
bitwize 10y ago
I went to Japan a few years back. Almost no one speaks any practical English in Japan. So I was like "Well, after wanting to go for years and years, I'm finally here. It's a different country, home is a planet's breadth away, and no one speaks my language. If I want anything, I can ask for it in shitty Japanese and be thought a fool, or I can repeat English phrases as if that would help any and remove all doubt." I did gain considerable experience with the language, and I found a way to do or obtain anything I wanted (sometimes by asking for an English speaker to help me). My mom still wonders how I did it -- find my way in a completely foreign country where the language and customs are so thorought different. I keep telling her, it's just a matter of having the gumption to do it. Knowing Japanese helps, but learning as I went (as I was forced to do) helped me more.

by imgabe 10y ago

clamprecht 10y ago

> I just got over it, walked up to the first friendly looking person I could find, One thing I started doing was to find the least friendly looking person and ask them. Great way to break stereotypes based on looks! Or (in a public place), ask the guy who looks like a gangster. Of course, in a foreign country, you also want to ask the person most likely to speak the language you speak.

toxik 10y ago

I'm trying to learn Mandarin, and I think it gives you _a lot_ of adversity. There is nothing fun in rote learning, but there is also really no way around it when it comes to new languages. A friend of mine speaks it fluently now, and you'll be moderately surprised by his path to success: religiously practicing his routines.

update 10y ago

> What inspired me to persevere was the simple fact that, really, it was the only way to get what I wanted. That's what it comes down to. Do you want the thing you're going after more than you want to avoid the obstacles in the way? If you do, you'll keep going. This is how I go about life no matter what the obstacle. From quitting smoking to making it rich (I've done one of these so far...) "Just do it." It's a pretty simple, definitely hard though & certainly worth it.

javajosh 10y ago

It is good that you recognized a triumph, remember it, and share it with justified pride. The bombastic triumphs depicted in entertainment can desensitize us to the subtle triumphs in real life.

bitwize 10y ago

I went to Japan a few years back. Almost no one speaks any practical English in Japan. So I was like "Well, after wanting to go for years and years, I'm finally here. It's a different country, home is a planet's breadth away, and no one speaks my language. If I want anything, I can ask for it in shitty Japanese and be thought a fool, or I can repeat English phrases as if that would help any and remove all doubt." I did gain considerable experience with the language, and I found a way to do or obtain anything I wanted (sometimes by asking for an English speaker to help me). My mom still wonders how I did it -- find my way in a completely foreign country where the language and customs are so thorought different. I keep telling her, it's just a matter of having the gumption to do it. Knowing Japanese helps, but learning as I went (as I was forced to do) helped me more.