Stared at or ignored? Which would you choose...

Not that I've had a choice, but I've been thinking about whether I prefer to be conspicuous or invisible in the culture I'm living in.

Being a white Anglo with white Anglo children in Ramallah, Palestine resulted in being stared at. All the time, every day, anywhere. While it got tiring at times, I became used to it and considered it an opportunity to be friendly by sharing a smile and a greeting in Arabic.

Now I am faced with the opposite. I live in a culture where strangers do not make eye contact or greet each other. I blend in with the Slovaks at least until I open my mouth to talk. In Ramallah no one expected any Arabic, so when I spoke in their language, it was unexpected and usually well received. I am spoken to in Slovak, asked questions in Slovak, and just end up smiling and saying "nie Slovensky". Perhaps it's time for some serious language lessons.

So what would you choose: to be stared at and conspicuous or to blend in and be ignored or invisible?

Carolyn