There are things that we see and experience on a daily basis, living in a different country, that are quite different from what we grew up with. Over time we stop noticing the differences because what is here becomes normal to us. We lose perspective on what is “our culture” versus “their culture,” and it becomes sort of a hybrid of culture in our life. I think this is a healthy place to be. I don’t think we could hope to truly contextualize if we are always thinking about how different our surroundings are. Plus, I think our local friends must get tired of hearing “well, in America we…”
However, Scott and I have recently been hit with a few differences of our life here that often make us laugh and thought that you might enjoy learning about them. First, as I’ve mentioned previously, Scott and I are both teaching for a university that is just getting started in our city as an opportunity to invest in the growing community around us. In doing so, we have encountered a little different environment than we experience in our own language center. One thing that amused me was the first time I used the rest room in the university office. I was pleased to discover that it was a “western” style bathroom, opposed to the “eastern” squattie potty that is so commonly used here. However, upon closer examination I found that there wasn’t any supplied toilet paper. This is not uncommon, so those of us that this affects tend to carry tp on us or in our bags. After I was finished I went to the other side of the bathroom to wash my hands and saw a roll of toilet paper…hung on the wall, on a toilet paper dispenser, intended to be used for drying your hands! I wonder sometimes what other uses people find for tp in this country! Another thing that commonly happens here is the electricity going on and off. This is a also known to happen during our class periods, and the students don’t even miss a beat! They just keep going with whatever they are doing, just as though the room wasn’t mostly hidden in shadows. However, something that happened the other day in my class really made me sit back and acknowledge a difference in our cultures.
We were discussing health and taking care of our bodies. One of my female students was expressing her views as a vegetarian, and how she thought meat was so bad for your body (this is not a common view here since they LOVE meat). However, one of my male students was just flabbergasted that she didn’t eat meat, and further inquired of her “if you eat so healthy, why is it that you are still so big (fat)?” I thought since this was a teenage girl he was talking to that I would have to intervene before she got too upset. However, she simply went on to explain to him about the genetic makeup of her family and how that contributed to her own size! Discussing one’s appearance and especially body types is not at all taboo here. Even to acknowledge that someone is large isn’t meant as an insult, but as a statement of fact! I found this especially funny since teenagers tend to be exceptionally sensitive about their appearance and yet this conversation could happen between two people of opposite genders without any incident! I think we may have something to learn from this since not acknowledging what is obvious can be rather awkward at times!
Another observation I made recently was in our neighborhood. When it comes to construction projects here, no one receives any warning. They just show up one day with all of their equipment and start pounding away. This occurred this last week with a project to replace some water lines. Unfortunately for us, those water lines run right in front of our house. So three days ago several men showed up with some large machinery and shovels to tear up the cement in front our house and all down both directions of our street. What they left us with was an approximately 3 foot wide and 4 foot deep trench! They also completely demolished our stairs in the front. This wouldn’t necessarily be all that big of a deal, except that we have nothing that we can use to bridge the gap and we are having to transport our children, groceries and ourselves across this thing without any idea of when it will be filled back in. When we asked them the first day when it would be finished they had told us today, but it is mid afternoon and I have yet to see any workmen. One nice thing that first day was when I walked outside and discovered the ditch I asked them what I should do, and their answer was to drive their bobcat over, put the bucket down over the hole and let me step across. Not bad as far as service goes, but I have had to cross many more times since then without their assistance!
My final story is another thing I witnessed on my street. While Scott and I were watching them demolish our front stairs, I looked over and saw one of my neighbors pull up in a taxi. I assumed she had been out shopping since her and the driver got out and popped the trunk open. However, instead of seeing bags of groceries I saw chickens! LIVE chickens! I’m sure the plan was to take them inside and slaughter them so they could have their fresh chicken dinner, but it amused me to see them all sitting in the trunk awaiting their fate, just like their pre-slaughtered frozen friends!
We will keep trying to keep “fresh eyes” so we can give you a picture of our world. So much has become familiar to us, and the new things can be sometimes frustrating, but we strive to see humor all around us and enjoy where God has us at this time. The boys are doing great and enjoying the summer. They don’t seem to mind being sweaty and smelly in this heat. Zeke only minds that he can’t go down the slides at the park because he would burn his little legs! So, we are getting creative with our family fun activities. The other week we even did a family movie night and watched Shrek 3. Zeke really enjoys the Pixar movies and we are able to enjoy them as well. We are now half way through our English course and looking forward to some fun times with friends at the end of the summer. We have had a few dusty days and one huge dust storm, but have learned over time how to deal with these things. More to come soon!
(pictured below was a huge dust storm that lasted several hours...this isn't the sepia camera feature, it really looked like this!)
2 comments:
haha yay! fun to read about some of the different things you experience. :) that dust storm is incredible. life sure keeps you all hopping, doesnt it? :)
Kate - I had to laugh out loud over the chicken story. I even shared it with some of my friends. It's just too good. I can't imagine seeing something like that in Sheboygan.
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