I work in Asia, and most of the people that I interact with on a daily basis are Asians, with Asian facial features. It gets to the point where the Asian face becomes the “norm” for me. Then when I see a Western face, I get confused.
It’s a strange feeling. I look at myself in the mirror, and my reaction is: what a funny-looking person. His eyes are sunken in, face is pale, and look at the size of that dude’s nose!
How I must appear to my colleagues here in Vietnam
This phenomenon reminds me of the line in the famous Robert Burns poem:
Oh, would some Power give us the gift
To see ourselves as others see us!
Not really a gift, of course. Especially in my case. Sheesh, the schnoz on that guy…