Living abroad and/or with a significant other from a different cultural background, you sometimes see yourself and your upbringing through a different set of eyes. Things that you might not otherwise question and usually take for granted can very suddenly be open for interpretation and reflection.
Some people are said to have resting bitch face. I apparently have concentrated murder face. Ever since I started in the work force, colleagues (or how my significant other during work from home) have regularly stopped dead in their track. “Is everything okay? Did somebody make you furious? You look like you are ready to murder somebody.”
Most likely, at that point, I will be kind of startled and come out of my mental tunnel and a deep state of concentration. Especially when I am figuring out a a logical approach in SPSS, a formula in Excel or a programing issue in VBA, I tend to completely zoom in, lean forward and squint at my computer screen. I sometimes get into this mode during meetings as well, which can lead to some insecurity within my counterpart. Luckily, I sometimes become aware, try to relax my face and ease the situation by letting the other parties involved into my thought process.
My better half has described me looking like an eagle ready to dive down on its prey. Hence I have started calling this look my “eagle mode”. Others’ have said that I look like I am deadly furious and ready to fight or even kill someone. To be honest though, during those times I have no real emotion worth mentioning. I am completely absorbed by the challenge at hand and mentally in a different time and space.
So in case you ever see me in eagle mode: You are safe. If anything, I might throw the hardware out of the window 😉
How about you?
Do you have any facial expressions or body language that people misinterpret?
Cover picture was taken in Varanasi (India) in Nov 2015
Wandering Explorer Travel 
I have had a RBF since I was a kid; people have actually told me that I look angry all the time, as well as intimidating to approach. Little do they know that I was (still am) really shy, and that kind of hindered me from establishing more relationships than I could’ve had when I was younger. I smile more these days as an effort, and I think it has made all the difference!
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Which teaches us again that you can’t judge a book by its cover and you need to discover the person behind the “mask” 😉
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