| Adjusting to a new culture
Textbook summary by student LW, 2004: Introducing World Missions, by Moreau, Corwin, McGee, 2004: A VERY good source for obtaining cross-cultural knowledge is the popular Persectives on the World Christian Movement course which is available in many settings across North America. To find locations go to www.perspectives.org When training for knowledge of a specific culture while in the U.S. it is highly possible and a good idea to find a people group that has nearly the same culture in which you will be traveling to and get to know them. Mentoring from a missionary who has significant cross-cultural experience in your target culture can provide invaluable help. Make sure you keep in mind that each missionary provides only one person’s perspective (184). Throughout our lives we have learned thousands of “scripts” for events in our daily lives. One of the ways culture shock hits is when you realize that your scripts no longer work. Social skills are one of the crucial areas of specific knowledge that a missionary needs such as: knowing what type of eye contact is appropriate, how to greet and leave, what communication patterns are between sexes, how to deal with an older person, self-disclosure, making or refusing requests, etc… The process of learning new ways to do familiar tasks will take extra time and energy and will drain you more quickly than you realize. Until these new skills become second nature, the missionary will feel like an outsider (185). The role of learner: Crossing cultural barriers for the work of the gospel or for any purpose raises significant issues of role. This is because roles will undoubtedly have different expectations attached to them in a new culture. Often the most tricky is explaining why you have come to this new culture. Though you will ultimately want to communicate that it was the love of Christ that compelled you to come, there is a more basic place to start: the role of learner. Advantages to the role of learner: -It is universally received and appreciated -it communicates that you think highly of your hosts, their culture, and their language. -Rather than rushing to drop “gospel bombs,” you listen and learn from them nurturing a relationship of trust and mutual respect (208). “You will learn that before anyone can reap a harvest, ground must be tilled, seeds planted, and seedlings watered and weeded” (208).
“Adjustment Problem Common to First-term Missionaries”, article by Dr. Harold Malone “You are there, but you are also not there in the sense of being or feeling a part of the action. All of what you have learned—your previous training, your accumulated experience, your gifts, skills, expertise that had significance in your previous involvements—all these are relegated to the shelf and mean little or nothing to others present” (11). One missionary said, “I feel that if I don’t find something to do that is important to someone, I’ll go nuts.” Doing something “important for someone” can become a symbol of worth and could reach the level of idolatry when life becomes so dependent on this” (12). In 1 Chronicles 11:16, King David said longingly, “O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem...” A drink from the Bethlehem well symbolized all that with which he was familiar that he was separated from. Some first termers will find themselves with similar longings: “Oh that I could be back in Minnesota,” or “Oh that I could have pizzaJ” (13). Probably the most critical matter relates to the loss of identity. A woman’s loss of identity may relate to being away from her “things,” such as having her household jobs taken away from her by helpers, and her past professional job gone.
Summary of interview with WF and FF, 2004: She wanted to be home with her young children so she had a teacher come into her home three hours a week. She feels that it was crucial to have friendships with both the nationals as well as with those from your similar culture. He remembers a time when he was a very bad guest. A man cut in front of him in line and heconfronted him, and in China that is seen as a very bad thing to do.
Summary of Interview with Dr. B: Dr. B was not very prepared for adapting to the culture in West Africa and he feels that the biggest thing was “to sink or swim.” Good advice given to him was in 1 Corinthians 9 about becoming all things to all people. About a week after he arrived on the mission field, him and his wife were invited to a home and when asked if they wanted a drink and then the man proceeded to climb up a tree, cut down a coconut, and hands it to them. His wife could see all the hair and dirt floating in it, but Dr. B. drank it, so his wife followed suit. Dr. B. feels that this is a metaphor or illustration for what he tried to do in adapting himself to the ways of eating, dressing, walking, talking, and the other normal ways of the people. This approach to missions was starkly different from most missionaries in that time who lived in compounds in the western way of life.” During the first three years, Dr. B was probably sick one of those years with many diseases because he did not take care to drink clean water and other precautions. He did this with purpose though: to build an immunity. He felt that the first three years were an investment into not having to be separated from others. He did absolutely everything he could to adjust to the way of life without compromising his faith. One example of a time in which he was in a situation that could be compromising to his faith was when he was asked to be involved in sacrifices. “You will have some things you will need to say no to if they are in contradiction with your Christian faith. But even then you need to find a kind and sensitive way to say no without belittling them.” One thing that was a struggle for Dr. B. was that he wasn’t as “efficient.” He would have to stop working at 6:00 every night because that is when the sun went down. He had to adapt to a different understanding of time and he’s not sure if he ever fully adapted. Communication with his family back home was hard. He supposes it was similar to Abraham in leaving Chaldea, and Dr. B. developed new family on the mission field in a sense.
Summary of Interview with JC: “The first issue in adapting to a new culture is language. You have to figure out a strategy to deal with the language. You never quite figure it all out because you aren’t a part of the culture.” He never saw a missionary who was totally able to figure a language out completely. “If you really want to get into the heart of the people group then you really must learn their heart tribal language.” It was hard to find people reliable for teaching language and culture to him and his wife. In West Africa if a person says they will be your cultural teacher, they will take all the burden on themselves. J’s cultural teacher would get in trouble when Jack messed up. “It’s easy to think ‘geez that’s stupid’ about cultural differences.” “At first you think it’s neat but then you get sick of it.” (in reference to a new culture) “Women were not equal to men in this culture and for a westerner that is often hard to take.” However, J’s wife was viewed as more of a man there J. Corruption within the culture is hard”—Things such as having to pay off the guards and having people constantly asking him for money . J would pull the Koran out of his back pocket with it all underlined and that is not an acceptable way to treat a holy book! Once J went to an animistic graveyard and as he was leaving he got his ankle caught in a thorn bush and fell and his cultural teacher “freaked out,” but J as a westerner was like, “Cmon.” J wanted to be like the people so he ate what they ate. The only difference was that he lived in a cedar block house. He built a polova hut outside of his home and this was a place where men would sit and argue (polova means to argue) and discuss for hours. “The key thing in West Africa is friendships. People would stop by J’s house to see how they were doing and people would say, “why haven’t you come to my house?” To J and his wife you didn’t just drop by someone’s house, but they learned through experience that the circle keeps going of them visiting you and you visiting them. J learned to make a tea that people drank in the market, so when people would come to his house he’d serve them this. People were very offended to see white American missionaries scrubbing the floor or doing any form of manual labor. This is something Jack continued to do despite the disliking of others. Eventually people became more open to J doing so, regarding that he was “exercising” for his health rather than working. (jack’s a big guy J) They were expected to employ people and they did: laundry, cook, security guard. They got to know these servants and would feed them while they worked to compensate them. The first year they were there they took on the role of learner—yet when he was supposed to be learning, he’d get, “so and so’s roof blew off,” “so and so’s possessed,” etc… Entertainment in this culture was other people.
Summaries by student AB, 2003:
From interview with Pastor B: -Pastor B and his family were given a year just in order to get acclimated and adjusted to Venezuelan culture (Bickel Interview). -TV was nearly the same( only in Spanish) in Venezuela, as it was in America. -Satan will try to drag you down in the midst of culture shock. -Good camaraderie between missionaries is important when adjusting to a new culture. -Driving and traffic habits of others were frustrating when he got to Venezuela, and then even more frustrating when he returned to the US…the traffic flow and laws were very different between the two countries. -Language (Spanish) was a large portion of adjusting to the Venezuelan culture. -Spiritism and Materialism were the two largest religions/gods in Venezuela. From interview with JG: -Many people in Taiwan were rude and blatantly would make fun of you. -The living standards in Taiwan are lower than in America. -The food was very different. Ms. Gronbach ate the same foods for about the first month because she was to afraid to try any of their other foods. -By eating-out in restaurants, one can get to know the culture better. -The hot/humid climate was difficult to adjust to.
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