Special Greeting

I decided that I was going to violate the norm of hand-shaking, saying thank you and leaving a conversation. Instead of shaking hands, smiling, thanking verbally and excusing myself, I was going to give people a respectful bow the way it is done in Asian cultures.

The mere thought of this plan got me stressed out. I was also going to make sure not to talk to anyone that is of Asian origin so that they don’t think I was trying to mock them. From both my family and my friends, I was expecting laughter and questioning of my sanity. However, when it comes to the reactions of people I didn’t know, I was pretty sure there would be an awkward silence, followed by an avoidance of my gaze and both parties trying to escape the unusual situation.  While the stress of this “performance” in front of people was manageable, it was situations involving a certain degree of seriousness that worried me the most (I was supposed to visit a bank that day). Despite that, I decided to stick to the plan and carry out a full day of bowing.

The adventure started early in the morning when I decided to bow to my bus driver whom also thought it would be a good idea to start moving his vehicle at the same time. I almost fell as a result and I could feel my cheeks swell up with blood and a clear sensation of shame. I looked around worrisomely, hoping that nobody noticed. Luckily, the bus at 6:50AM is nearly empty. Upon my arrival to school, I saw my friends sitting at the table, I approached them and the closest one stretched his arm out to greet me. I bowed respectfully and the group of friends busted out in laughter. It was hard to keep a serious face and I ended up laughing too. That was certainly encouraging because I didn’t feel that they were laughing at me, I had the feeling that they were laughing with me. When I told them why I was doing it, they all decided to join me in my experiment. Nevertheless, during classes I made sure not to be greeted by teachers because I was too scared of their reaction to my special greeting. I even hesitated to go to the bank. The fact that my business there was rather urgent pushed me to go no matter what. When I walked up to the receptionist, she said “hello, how can I help you”. I bowed and then told her I needed to see my advisor. I could see her lips tighten up and her eyes looking away in discomfort. She clearly wasn’t allowed to laugh. She wouldn’t look at me directly anymore and vaguely pointed in the direction I needed to go. While bowing I was certainly concerned about what people would think of me; as an introvert, I don’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention of everyone present around me. But after seeing her reaction, I felt very much empowered by the effect this deviation from norms had on her. Still, I decided that was enough and I stopped the experiment there without including my family in it (they were still sleeping when I left the house).

Despite feeling pressured to stop the violation of norms and act normally, I would say that I enjoyed the experience. Especially with my friends, I thought bowing was a way to get out of the boring routine (not mentioning that it’s so much more hygienic than shaking everyone’s hand one after the other). If it weren’t for them, I pretty sure that I would be so pressured into conformity that I wouldn’t have carried out the experiment for so long. I believe that is because we feel vulnerable and fearful when excluded from out group by behaving differently. The fact that my friends didn’t exclude me or rudely pick on this behaviour made it fun. 

But Wait!

I was furious. My teammate Mr. J wasn't answering my emails. I sent him a lot; while waiting for his part. In exasperation, I sent him a last email with my part of the PowerPoint that he was to add to him final version and send to the teacher. I still had no answer.
So I worried all morning. I assumed the worst. I thought that he didn't upload anything and that he wasn't going to show up at all. But when I met him, 10 minutes before our presentation, I realised that I owed him an apology. Of course, I didn't apologise because any decent person would have answered his emails. Nevertheless, he had completed his part and the presentation went well.
The lesson here isn't too trust your fellow companions. On the contrary, the worse you think the result will be, the happier you will be when things turn out to be not that bad.
I hate group projects.

Bloody Animals

The biggest problem at Dawson College are the crowded staircases that lead to the Lower Atrium. Apart from the simple explanation that there are too many students (5000 day students), it is important to remember that humans are social animals that like to travel in herds. It is rather uncommon for the Homo Sapiens to take a different route than the one the majority follows. As a field researcher that has followed closely these beasts and investigated upon the alternative routes to the desirable heaven called Lower Atrium, I can confirm that there are many ways to get there other than the main staircase. Nevertheless, these sheep-like animals take the same staircase, slowly advancing in a mix of smells and ape-like sounds that are absolutely revolting for my kind. Despite all that, I feel some sympathy for the inferior creatures (whom I must say are quite happy in their ignorance). It almost makes me want to help them; to guide them towards the path of enlightenment, to the staircases on the A,B,D,E and H wings that surprisingly also lead to Rome. But I don't. I don't do that because I know that it is not right to try to help the helpless. How sad, these creatures had so much potential when I first started observing them.
Don't be a sheep. If everyone is going the same way, that doesn't mean you ought to.