I wonder if being a foreigner ever becomes normal or something you get used to? When i venture down the streets of Italia, i hear people speak in a language completely foreign to the one i speak. i walk by shops and glance at signs that i can hardly comprehend.
Foreign.
Have you ever said something and everyone around looked at you like you were not from this world? That happens quite often to me, haha.
i’m not saying any of this bad or that i dislike it, but it is different. Sometimes we can get so used to the comforts of understanding and being understood, we forget how much of a privilege it really is.
It reminds me of how beautiful freedom is. Freedom to go, do, or work where you want, when you want. Freedom to understand and be understood.
Coming to Italia, i was voluntarily [uprooted] from my everyday life.
i was given an opportunity to be a foreigner; to venture into something i know is a lifestyle.
In this adventure, i have learned a few lessons i want to share with you.
-Being grateful for the bed you sleep in. i have been so blessed to sleep in a bed (which does’ t always mean alone… haha 🙂 but, a bed with blankets and a roof over my head to keep me warm.
–Silence. Sometimes it’s better to not say anything and just listen. This becomes an easy concept in a place where few speak your language, but the concept regardless of where you are and who speaks your language is important for peace –
“Being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” [James 1:19]
-There are times i have been so glad i do not speak the language. In a few circumstances there has been times i wanted to get angry and say things i would probably regret, but for real, praise G-d i could not speak the language and had to very carefully choose what i said. This has been a very big learning lesson and preparation for when i am around people that do understand me.
–HUGE LESSON – Do Not speak to someone else about a problem you are having with another individual because it will ALWAYS come back to haunt you in an over exaggerated, ‘Not what you meant to say’ conversation. Go to the person you are directly having an issue with and resolve it with them… If that doesn’t work, bring a 2nd person to listen and observe the conversation.
-Be Culturally Sensitive – LISTEN completely to what they say before you respond.
& when you are trying to get something done or a situation worked out, make sure you REITERATE what you are saying more than once and have the person tell you
‘What they UNDERSTOOD‘ – [KEY…] A lot of cultures will simply say yes to anything even if they don’t understand because they don’t want to seem stupid or ignorant. So CLARIFY.
-Take time to appreciate people. A lot of times the people around you don’t realize their significance or importance, so tell them! Let people know you appreciate them and what they do.
-& Lastly [There’s plenty more, but not enough time to list] Don’t ever ask what your eating… Sometimes its better not to know. Regardless of where you are, be polite when someone places food in front of you. And if you don’t like it – Suck it up & eat it. The international sign of blessing someone is food, don’t hurt or rob someone of their blessing. Smile & enjoy.
In 7 days, i head back to the United States trying to comprehend how 2 months has already gone by… and then in 19 days i leave on the World Race.
This is my life.
i am a foreigner.
Though sometimes it can seem lonely, difficult, or painful remember
“If my G-d is for me, then who can be against me?”
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as lo the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him…
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
[Philippians 3:7-9,13-14]
