A Cultural Experience

So, let me preface this blog with a little back story first. So about a week ago my team started making plans to go take an adventure trip to Poland. Our ministry host was going to be traveling to Hungary to pick up another team and so it was the perfect week to border hop and adventure. 

I was ecstatic about this. Realizing that I could have an entire apartment to myself and have 4 days of time to myself sounded amazing. I haven’t had more than a few hours alone for the last 8 months and I’m an introvert sooooo you get the picture. 

This weekend has been amazing for me. Friday I went out to lunch with a couple girls that I met at ministry so I could build that relationship and it was great. But outside of that my Friday was pretty laid back. Yesterday, Saturday, I spent the majority of the day being able to FaceTime my family and friends and I can’t tell you all how much I enjoyed that. Yes sirree Bob, I definitely enjoyed that! (Shout out to you Jaimie ;)) 

Today, however, was epic. I went to church this morning and the worship, the message, it’s all in Ukrainian. They provide head sets for us to listen to live translation, but today I just wanted to sit and listen to the Ukrainian message even though I wouldn’t be able to understand it. It was awesome. 

After church I went to lunch with Rudy, his wife Katty and their daughter Eleanora, along with a visiting pastor for upstate New York. 

 

 

After lunch we headed over to a member of the church, Jason’s house for a barbecue. He made American burgers or close to it. Food upon food, but so much great fellowship. 

After a few hours at Jason’s I left with Rudy and Katty to go head to one of their friends homes and here is where great things happened. 

So, in America we have hangouts. We invite people over, have dinner or snacks and play games and it’s a lot of fun. Well, I’ll have you know that Ukrainians do it too, and I got to experience it first hand. 

I was at a home where the majority of the party didn’t speak English, and I was surrounded by the Ukrainian language. This to me was already interesting because I want to learn it, but it was even more so because I could pick up on if people were teasing each other or something was humorous. In the background there’s a soccer game playing on tv and there’s 2 different types of pasta dishes on the table in front of me. (SO MUCH FOOD TODAY!) 

But after the food had been eaten, or a good portion anyways, the board game was pulled out. It was pictionary of sorts and I got to play, well sort of. I definitely tried to play, but language barriers is a hard thing. But it was so much fun! Watching these people go at it, get competitive and argue over rules in another language was awesome and it’s definitely a cultural experience I’m glad I got to be a part of. 

I can’t wait for hangouts back in the States, it’s definitely something I miss.

 

Till Next Time,

Kara Faber