Today I was sitting at home, alone, and the door bell rang.
My host dad runs a small business out of the bottom of the house. And we have a walled in parking area in the front of the house, where there is a door to come in and out. To open the door somebody on the inside has to press a button in the kitchen.
So the doorbell rang………..
WHAT DO I DO???
At home, the answer is simple, run downstairs and let the person in… but here I'm learning that everything you do must be done with extreme caution.
The only time I can go anywhere alone is walking the one and a half blocks to school in the morning, and home in the afternoon.
Coming from a life where I lived in a safe little neighborhood, where I knew almost everyone, with my own car, and a lot of independence, this part of the transition is SUFFOCATING.
At home, if I need to go to the bank, I just go! Here, I have to ask someone to take me days in advance so I know that it will work with their schedule.
If I want to go to a friends house, or to the mall, the movies, again I have to find myself a ride there and back. Whereas at home, I'd leave, pick up my friends and be back whenever!
And not to mention the safety precautions I take even when I'm with other people. I avert my gaze, I look both ways about 20 times before crossing the street (crazy drivers), I clutch onto my purse like my life depended on it, I keep my credit card in a hidden section of my bag, I never carry more than twenty dollars in cash….
…. so what did I do when the doorbell rang?
I walked into the kitchen and looked at the TV screen to see if I recognized the person in the picture from the security camera, then went back in my room and acted like it never happened, as the poor guy continued to ring the bell over and over again...
