They say that when you're the minority in a place, it can feel a bit like being an animal in a zoo, or a fish in a fishbowl. I am certainly the minority where I live now, both in what I believe and what I look like, and there are many days where it feels like I am a goldfish. People tend to look a bit too long on the train, or the taxi driver might charge me a bit extra because I'm obviously not from here.
I try to remember that the people around me might see me and I'm assume a Christian, or at least assume I'm from the west, which to some people are essentially one and the same. People here who have never seen a Westerner before but know they're often Christians see what I do, and if I behave poorly, then it confirms their convictions that Westerners and Christians are all terrible heathens without any semblance of morality. Maybe it's not so bad as I imagine, and I'm not a local here to know what they think when they look at me, but it is helpful to remember that all of my actions do not just affect me; they could affect whether people open up to Christ or not.
I am a goldfish, and people are paying attention to what I do, but as long as I am looking to God for my provision and trying to live like Christ, things will be okay. I will do my best to draw closer to Christ and help everyone around me to do the same.
*I'm attaching a picture because I haven't done that in my blog yet! This can be a beautiful place when you get out of the city a bit.*