Have you studied abroad? help a brotha out

@mumbojumbo63, I lived in Cusco, Peru for six months teaching English as a foreign language. Here’s a little something I compiled one contemplative Sunday afternoon.

20 Myths About Living In a Foreign Country

1. You will stop being treated like a tourist after a certain amount of time.
2. You will become fluent in the local language.
3. Once they see you’re not a tourist, locals will stop trying to rip you off or make money off you.
4. You won’t miss home that much, and if you do, you’ll stop after a while.
5. After a while, you won’t get sick from the food anymore.
6. Entering a romantic relationship with a local will make your time in the country easier.
7. You will develop a thorough understanding of the local culture.
8. You will become an expert on where to go, what do to do and what/where to eat.
9. Locals won’t make assumptions about you based on where you’re from.
10. The country will have environmental/health/sanitation/living/animal welfare standards you’ll find acceptable.
11. A local will always know better.
12. Those Ray-Bans and Rolexes are totally the real deal!
13. If a local acts like an asshole/moron/racist towards you, all the locals must be like that.
14. It’s always better to eat at a nicer restaurant than a hole-in-the-wall dive.
15. The country’s streets are crawling with pickpockets by day and muggers by night.
16. If a local agrees to do something for you/meet you somewhere at a certain time, they will definitely do it.
17. Those adorable little street kids? Those poor stray dogs? They’re harmless!
18. A local will never think they’re better than you.
19. The idea and practice of common sense is universal throughout all cultures.
20. When you return to your home country/culture, everyone else back home will have changed like you have and will be able to see things from the different points of view you have gained.