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pressure of the situation was making her doubt her Dutch, so she began to fumble around in
her backpack for her phrase book. The conductor was losing patience, and Hannah could
feel tears welling up when she heard Mark say, “ Het spijt me, maar we hebben geen tick-
ets. We willen tickets in Delft te kopen, maar we hebben geen chipkaart en we zijn alleen.
Mark had done his best to apologize for not having tickets and to explain that they weren't
able to buy them in Delft. He had used the present tense instead of the past, since that's
what he knew best, and he was sure his grammar wasn't right, but he had gotten the idea
across, and the conductor seemed to understand .
Ah, heel goed, ik begrijp het nu ,” the conductor replied. And then in English he added,
“There is penalty, but I charge not.” He punched some numbers into the little machine that
was hanging from his neck, and before he could continue in English, Mark asked, “How
much?” in Dutch. The conductor, impressed by Mark's commitment, replied in Dutch that
it would be ten euros and twenty cents. As Mark paid, he added, “ Hoe long wonen jullie
here in Nederland?” He had asked how long Mark and Hannah had lived in the Nether-
lands!
One of the many ways that you grow through travel is by being forced outside your comfort
zone. When this happens, preparation will help to make your trip as smooth as possible.
Although many guidebooks focus on practical preparation, I've found that the mental chal-
lenges are usually tougher than the practical ones—so we'll start by covering three mental
habits that I've found useful to cultivate.
The first habit, and the one that comes least easily to me, is that of patience. With
very few exceptions, other countries move more slowly than the United States. It's import-
ant to remember that you're on vacation to take a break from the race of American life. If
you end up waiting, try to keep perspective and enjoy the break.
The second mental habit that I try to practice is that of looking for a hidden benefit in
temporary setbacks. I recommend trying to find at least one good thing in each challenge.
With this perspective, you might find a new opportunity that you weren't expecting. And
at the very least, you'll give your mind something to think about instead of suffering over
your present situation.
The final habit that has carried through many difficult situations is that of having
a sense of humor. When circumstances become extremely demanding, you have a choice
whether to get upset or to step away and consider how ridiculous the circumstances are. If
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