" I am not saying that Indonesians cannot be rude, but this was not exactly the introduction to American culture that I had been hoping for. Of course, I grabbed my bag and hurried to catch up with the line (which hadn't moved very far, by the way), but as I continued to stand in line with the gruff-voiced American right behind me, I began to grow both embarrassed and angry, with the latter emotion winning. As my anger grew, however, I came to a sudden epiphany -- the diversity of people surrounding me, all with their own ways of doing things, yet all straining impatiently to get through those airport barriers and into the United States. I decided that though the American...

We all had the same goal, and we all wished to reach it expediently. This incident taught me that I cannot allow different approaches -- even ones that may seem unusual or even rude -- to slow me or the world down from striving towards a common goal.
I have since had many other experiences in America, most of them very pleasant. And when things got difficult, I always recalled this first incident at the airport. The insight I received in that moment has served me well in many occasions, and equipped me to deal effectively and personably in a diverse and globalizing world.