Okay, let me tell you how I sort of stumbled into figuring out what the opposite of provincial really feels like in practice. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and decided, “Today, I’ll be cosmopolitan!” Nah, it was way messier than that.
For years, I was pretty stuck in my ways. Grew up in one place, knew the same people, did the same things. My world felt, well, kinda small. Not bad, just small. Everything outside my little bubble seemed weird or wrong. Didn’t really question it much, just accepted it. That’s what I now see as being pretty ‘provincial’, looking back.
The First Nudge
The shift started subtly. I got put on a project at work with folks from totally different backgrounds. Not just different cities, but different countries. At first, honestly? It was frustrating. They had different ways of talking, different ideas about how to get things done. My initial reaction was, “Why can’t they just do it our way, the right way?”
But we had to deliver. So, I had no choice but to actually listen. Really listen. I started asking why they suggested certain things, not to argue, but just to understand. It was awkward. Sometimes I felt stupid asking basic questions.
Making the Effort
That project kind of cracked open a door. I realized my ‘right way’ wasn’t the only way, maybe not even always the best way. So, I decided to push myself a bit more, consciously.
- I started trying different foods. Sounds simple, right? But I was picky! I forced myself to order stuff I couldn’t pronounce at restaurants. Some were gross, yeah, but some were amazing.
- I began reading books or articles about cultures completely different from mine. Not textbooks, just stories, blogs, stuff written by regular people living different lives.
- I made an effort to talk to people I wouldn’t normally interact with much – the quiet guy from accounting who moved here from overseas, the lady at the market with the interesting accent. Just asking about their day, where they’re from, simple things.
- When travelling, even short trips, I tried to avoid just the tourist traps. I’d wander down side streets, sit in local cafes, just observe.
What Actually Happened
It wasn’t an overnight transformation. It was slow. Sometimes it felt uncomfortable. You hear things that challenge what you’ve always believed. You realize you had biases you didn’t even know were there. It takes a bit of humility, I guess. You have to be willing to admit you don’t know everything.
But bit by bit, my perspective widened. Things that seemed ‘weird’ before just became ‘different’. I started appreciating variety instead of being suspicious of it. My conversations got more interesting because I could connect with more types of people. My own ideas got better because they were being fed by a wider range of influences.
So, What’s the Opposite?
For me, getting away from that provincial mindset wasn’t about becoming some fancy, sophisticated person. It was simply about opening up. It was about curiosity. It was about accepting that my little world wasn’t the entire world. It’s about being comfortable with difference, interested in it even. It makes life richer, less rigid. You’re less likely to judge, more likely to understand. And honestly, it just makes day-to-day living a lot more interesting.