The Foreigner Feeling

I've always tried to look like a natural when I am at a foreign country, but there are a number of things I just cannot avoid that make me stand out in the crowd.
That wasn’t any different in Helsinki for the last few days. Right from the start I decided to change the way I dress, not only to feel integrated but also to cope with the incredibly low temperatures. My fashionably Latin casual makes me stand out, and I cannot use my sunglasses anymore. But that wasn’t too bad, although I don’t really like to wear sweat pants when I go shopping.
I spent the whole week feeling weird right after crossing the street and I couldn’t understand why. Finally I figured it was because of the way people stared at me. Every time I crossed the street, people looked at me as if I was a lunatic. It took me a few days to understand that every single time I did it, nobody else followed. You see, where I come from, it is natural to cross the street if there aren’t any cars in a 5km radius. Apparently in Helsinki, if it is red, everybody respects it. That's so crazy! Even if it is raining cats and dogs, even if there are no cars in the street, even if it late at night and everything is as silent, Finns will wait for the green light. I can see the point, and I’ll try to do the same, but to every Finn out there, don’t judge me if I cross with a red light. You see... it’s a cultural thing. Hell, I even cross the street back home when it’s red and cars are cruising by. Coming to think about it, sometimes back home cars pass when it’s red for them too and we need to run othersise... hell, that’s a whole new story.