This year has been full of new experiences and drastic differences from America. Before this year I was so excited to live abroad and learn from various cultures and people. It has been a pleasure, but at times I do not pay attention to the differences. In many ways I believe I do not pay attention to them because there is no point, we must accept whatever is given to us. Rarely are we prepped for what our conditions may be like, so we quickly adapt. An example was from our contact, George, in Albania.He had beds for us to sleep in. He had been told that we, World Racers, had tents and sleeping bags. He said "he knows how to sleep on the ground, he knows how to take bucket showers but he also knows how to sleep in a bed and how to take a warm shower out of a running faucet". It is true, we can be content with whatever the situation, but I do not want to forget to pay attention to the differences. I think it is important to acknowledge them to share with others and to learn what great privilege I have as an American. So I wanted to write and share some common differences in cultures and I will do one for each country we have visited thus far. Some may be common in all of them or may only be common in the specific country.
1. Honduras. In Honduras we only had cold showers and often the water would run out. We would have to wait for the truck to come with more water. This also made toilets getting clogged a norm.
2. El Salvador.Our team made a joke that every morning of my teammate Jonathan's mom was yelling to us. Between 5am and 6am we were awoken by a lady with a basket or bucket of food on her head yelling "TAMALE, TAMALE, TAMALE". And Jonathan would jokingly reply "mom"?
3. Guatemala. Guatemala was the hardest month in regards to living situations, but I must speak on the transportation. We were living on the top of a mountain and in order to get into town we would have to take a bus. This bus properly held 15 passengers. I do not think there were ever less than 25 people on this bus. When it arrived we seriously fought to get on the bus. People would hand their babies back and we would hand our groceries back in order to create more space and more and more people would pile in the bus. And in Kenya our pastor told us, "the problem with African cars is that there are never enough people".
4. Albania. In Albania we lived on a summer camp that had a lot of farm animals. These differences to me are not as drastic to some Americans, but to me who never grew up near a farm they were different. Every day somebody on my squad would shepherd the sheep. We sorted the pigs, the sheep were slaughtered and skinned on the property, we chased out rats and we hand moved animal poop that had been sitting on the pavement for seven months.
5. Bulgaria. The biggest lesson I learned the people in Bulgaria was their hospitality. We never entered a house without coffee, pizza, donuts, tea, coke, banitsa or some other delicious goodie offered to us. It was a pleasure for them to offer us whatever it was they had. People would invite us over to feed us. And our cook had prayed for missionaries to come because she longed to serve them and she was the sweetest cook.
6. Romania. Romania was a great month where we did a lot of farm work. The ministry would help build green houses for gypsy families who took care of their crops and help them sell their produce. For some of my teammates and I we spent many days working in their fields and gardens with them. We plowed many cornfields with a hand plow. It took hours, but really taught hard work and how it was necessary for the family to survive. I remember a conversation with a man Joseph, about the differences in plowing in Romania compared to America with our electrical tools. This led to a discussion about the speed of earning money and how things go at a slower pace for them.
7. Kenya. Kenya was our first experience with the bucket showers. It was our 2nd month without running water and our first without electricity. I especially loved to take a bucket shower at dusk with a lantern. One evening as I was bathing two children ran past me in the shower that only had three walls covering me.
8. Uganda. Currently I am in Uganda. And one thing I am noticing more than any other month is something that has happened every month in Central America and Africa. I am noticing it more because I think I am just getting tired of it, to be honest. No matter where we walk we hear "Mzungu" (and "Gringo" in Central America) from every resident. It never fails. Even when we are riding in cars, they yell, they wave, they stick their heads in the windows or anything else to get our attention. I rarely know how to feel, but after eight months, I just want to blend in.
Just the other day I was talking with a squad-mate about how common it is for the electricity or water to go out and we do not even think about it. It becomes normal to go a week without even thinking about taking a shower, it becomes normal to go a quarter of a mile to haul water, it becomes normal to wear the same clothes for five days straight and it becomes normal to hand wash them. I believe it is a gift to be adaptable and I am thankful for the opportunity. I think Paul taught great wisdom in Philippians 4:11-13 where he says, "Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
After this year I believe I have learned what it means to have little and what it means to truly be content. I do think when I return to the America in December, the differences will be more magnified. They say reverse culture shock is worse than culture shock. I believe this will be even greater during the holiday season. I anticipate being overwhelmed. In April, after only three months I remember being overwhelmed standing in the aisle of Target in New York with my sister when we had our layover completely speechless. I was looking at the assortment of crackers and other foods and all I could say is "they don't have this in central America." I have learned that having plenty is not bad as Paul writes. All over scripture God blesses people with palaces and cattle and land. It is not bad to have a lot, but when it becomes necessary or expected or selfish it is bad. My prayer after this year is to live a life of gratitude, generosity and contentment regardless of what I have or do not have.
