Shannon Costello

So I think that before this trip I would have billed myself as, say, 70% introverted and 30% extroverted. But on this trip I behaved as if I were 90% extroverted, which puzzled and shocked me.
I am concluding that I am a lot more extroverted than I thought. How could I have missed that?

I think I admire introverts more than extroverts, probably because it seems more intellectual to be an introvert.

I think that in Bolivia I was constantly in situations that were extremely conducive to extrovert behaviors. It functioned like camp or college in that sense. Outside of work socializing with each other comes naturally to a group of people stranded outside of their normal setting. At the hospital my job was to talk to people…I never brought a book because I figured I would just find someone to talk to if I had spare time, even if that mean going out in the hallway and finding someone to talk to.

In real life socializing is a LOT harder. I can be timid (even I snort derisively when I re-read that) and I also have to struggle with my pride, occasional bouts of low self-esteem, and laziness. It is also hard to break habits. I’m used to not talking to the neighbors, or leaving church without talking to people.

It’s interesting thinking about how I should handle all of this…