Polokwane Woman’s Visit to America Opened Her Eyes to the Struggles of Foreigners

Photo Credit: Dipuo Kgabi via Facebook

Stepping outside your comfort zone can be more than just a change of scenery; it can be a profound lesson in empathy. That’s the powerful realisation Dipuo Kgabi had while trading her familiar life in South Africa for a new experience in the United States.

United States of America (24 October 2025) – Being outside of the familiar has a way of pushing one to open their mind to new perspectives, and in Dipuo Kgabi’s case, it can also offer an unexpected lesson in true empathy.

Sharing a Facebook post about trading her South African comfort for a foreign American one made her realise struggles she’d never given much thought to, and that she wasn’t as empathetic as she thought.

This came about while trying to navigate the “not-so-basic” systems of a foreign country.

“You never notice the invisible struggles of foreigners until you become one yourself, until you are the one asking ‘obvious’ questions: how to open a bank account, how to signal the bus to stop, walking on the opposite side of the road, understanding the currency, catching the accent, or even getting a local joke,” Dipou shares.

Dipuo shares that this experience taught her to swap sympathy for true understanding.

“Now, when I see a foreigner struggling, I recognise the invisible labour of simply existing in an unfamiliar system. It’s real. It’s challenging. And it changes your heart,” the Polokwane woman explains.

“So I can safely say one of the biggest lessons travel has taught me is that true empathy comes from noticing the unseen efforts of others. It’s the difference between seeing someone as a ‘problem’ and truly seeing them as a person.”

Her post, which she stressed was not political, may have sparked a few debating comments, but it also struck a chord with many who noted the importance of avoiding surface-level judgment, keeping an open mind and stepping into another person’s shoes.