Hello everyone and welcome back,

This week, I will be talking about my tall experiences in other countries. I’m so excited to write this blog because I have so many great and funny stories to share. From Taiwan to Costa Rica, I have been to some amazing places, and I have interacted with truly awesome people. As a result, many people from these foreign countries are fascinated with my height, and it has led to many unique experiences for me. So, let’s begin with Costa Rica.

Upon arriving to Costa Rica, I was met with many stares and looks of awe. With the average height of a Costa Rican being 5’4”, this meant that I was a whole foot and three inches taller than the average person. When I went to customs and border protection, I remember clearly what the agent said, “No puedes entrar. Eres demasiado alto.” In english, this means that “you can not enter because you are too tall.” At first, I was scared because I thought he was serious. But, he was quick to laugh and tell me that he was joking. After, we took a picture together, and I went on with my day.

Later that week, I had a life changing encounter because of my height when I met my Costa Rica abuela (grandmother). She told me to call her “abuelita” which means little grandmother in Spanish, and the name truly fit. My abuelita was 4’7”, and I towered over her. I remember vividly when I walked in the door, and she started laughing and shouting when she saw me. She told me that she never saw anyone as tall as me in her life. She constantly measured herself against me, and she couldn’t stop laughing and hugging me. Simply, she thought that I was the most fascinating person in the world. She instantly loved me before I said a word. And, after talking for an hour, she loved me even more. We connected immediately, and she has a great respect for my height. She thought that it was an honor to feed me and grow me, so she cooked me a homemade meal which was delicious. She told me that I should love and cherish my height because it is something very special. Previously, I looked at my height as a blessing and a curse, but my talk with abuelita made me recognize that my height is a blessing not a curse which is something really cool.

Throughout my time in Costa Rica, I took pictures with hundreds of people. From the kids at the school to police officers on the street, I was “famoso” as my exchange family said. The same could be said for Taiwan, but it was a little different. Instead of people taking photos with me, they took photos of me which was certainly creepy. When I was waiting in line for Taipei 101, I recall people pointing at me and holding their phones up at me. They were trying to get my attention by waving, and they wanted me to wave back. When I did, they cheered and continued to photograph me. This was not a one time thing. On the streets, many continued to look at me and take pictures of me. I constantly heard “好高” which means “very tall.” At the time, I knew some Chinese, and I responded with “我知道我很高” (I know that I am tall). This would always catch them off guard because I don’t think that they expected me to hear them and speak back. So, it was truly a cool/funny sight.

Overall, it was extremely eye-opening to experience my height in different cultures. It was interesting to see the significance of height in these cultures and watch the interactions around it. I learned a lot about myself and others as a result, and it is something that I will cherish forever.