Reading Time: 3 minutes
“I wish I’d known how hard it really is.”
I would have gotten more cross-cultural training, especially focused on the culture to which I was going. I would have taken more time in language learning. But most of all, I needed realistic expectations.
Working in a foreign field is the same as being in a war. I know: I’ve fought in both. And the similarities are striking.
There is not much glorious about warfare. It may look exciting on TV or in the movies, but in the trenches it’s a lot of hard work. And the enemy has ambushes everywhere. Often you can’t tell the enemy from the friendly. And your friends get injured and killed. It hurts. read more