4.1.12
ReVeRse…Culture Shock Talk (#1)
(*this is NOT an April Fools Joke)
#1 THE INITIAL SHOCK PHASE- can be combined with dizziness, sleepiness/jet lag, unfamiliar surroundings, people that look like & talk like you, uncontrollable laughter…fits of rage or feelings of wanting to escape. Trying to process old & new surroundings and make sense of what really “is”.
I think when you travel to 11 countries in 11 months you are almost always in constant culture shock to some extent. Every 3 and 1/2 weeks- month its time to pack up and experience a new culture! Which is really exciting…one thing that comes along with this is new culture, after new culture. The Lord definitely gives a lot of grace in these areas to us as we travel with the anointing he has placed on us for the times we are in, however the reality is that culture shock does happen.
Here is a definition I found online, of what I believe I am having a small taste of a little earlier than I thought I would.
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Reentry shock. This is experienced upon returning to the home country and the return may follow with initial euphoria, crisis or disenchantment. It may be hard to readjust and may feel like they are not accepted.
So let me just be real… Coming into Europe I was so excited….first of all because I feel that the Lord has given me a huge heart for it! There were moments where I did know how I would last another day in Asia and I thought about my love for Europe and the passion God has given me for countries here & I knew I had to hang on because the Lord had something special for me here. At our 8 month debrief a little over a week ago in Beijing…there was talk of re-entry. I thought…this is a little early to talk about this. I was WRONG! Please don’t read into this wrong. I STILL LOVE EUROPE & actually I believe that Ukraine is and will be one of my favorite months along the WR.
BUT….
Here are JUST some of the many reasons I am in culture shock right now.(*side-note- The Y squad was the first squad to go to Africa first…so being the pioneers that we are in a way…we may be experiencing different levels of shock after 3 months in Africa and 5 throughout Asia)
1. I spent 8 months having people stare at me because I was white & different…now all I see is white people everywhere!
2. I ate rice for 8 months pretty much every day and now I am suddenly eating American food on a daily basis. (Which I am very thankful for! 🙂
3. Hot showers every day!
4. American toilets every day…(that flush!). * In most countries there are toilets called “squatties”…or just cement holes.
5. Oh wait back to food, did I mention we have been eating desert? (We did eat desert in the Philippines too but most places in the world don’t know about desert; they find it weird that Americans DO eat desert.)
6. Cars now all of a sudden have seat belts again.
7. Songs play in English on the radio & in stores.
8. The street market isn’t the only place you can go shopping.
9. American contacts that talk in English! (Yes, around the world people DO talk in English but having real in depth conversations is rather rare) So deep questions of experiences on the world race are coming & all I can do is just give a blank stare while I try to process what even happened the past 8 months of my life!
10. When you talk to someone on the street there is a good chance that they know some English!
11. When sudden fits of joy overcome you because of all the things coming your way & start cracking up on the ground until tears start coming down your face…you know you are in shock!
(yes this really did happen) 🙂
Ok this is all for right now but I am sure that there are MANY, many other reasons which will be continued in another blog.
Anyhow…ironically we are staying with an American family from Texas with the last name “BLESSING”…They have really been nothing but an explosion of blessings since we have arrived here! For that I am so thankful….
I am just in shock…. & this is to be continued because when you are in shock you usually don’t have much to say.
