December 14, 2004
Dear Friends,
As we come close to the start of a new year, I think of the story
of Jesus’ birth: a baby born into uncertain conditions in
a foreign land. In 1995 - 1996, during my first mission experience
in the PC(USA) Reconciliation and Mission Program, I reflected
on the theme of being the foreigner too. Jesus, in his divine
aspect, was a foreigner to simply being human. I wondered if he,
too, suffered from culture shock.
At this writing, I have been in Nicaragua for seven years—almost
five of those as a PC(USA) mission co-worker assigned to CEPAD.
Many times during these years I have come back to the thought
of Jesus-as-foreigner. It is said that culture shock, for a foreigner,
is cyclical and recurring—however long the foreigner lives
in a foreign country. What this has meant for me is that I gripe
about some cultural differences and enjoy others. In some respects,
I am acutely aware that I am a foreigner, while in other ways
I feel quite at home here. Above all, I see more clearly that
no matter what our particular beliefs (cultural, religious, political
and otherwise), people are people with all their idiosyncrasies,
faults, and talents.
How does one deal with being a foreigner? Perhaps the key lies
in how we approach our role of being a stranger. Will I accept
that role? Will I judge others’ differences? Will I struggle
to maintain my own cultural identity and resist all that is Nicaraguan?
Will I try to “fit in” to Nicaragua to the extent
that I try to become someone I am not? How compassionate will
I be with myself and others as I note our differences? To what
extent will I be able to see the humanness and similarities in
those who are not from my home culture?
Being a foreigner in Nicaragua has made me reflect on who I am
and where I belong. It has helped me appreciate even more the
people I love in the United States and has helped me see what
I treasure about the United States (hot baths in large porcelain
bathtubs, grassy parks, public libraries, public TV and radio).
It has also allowed me to see what I don’t enjoy about my
country and culture. Being a foreigner has influenced how I’ve
discerned some of my core values as a human being and as a Christian.
As much as I will continue being a foreigner while I live in
Nicaragua, I also realize that in many senses I have “come
of age” here—and will likely never feel totally at
home in the United States. This is because I have spent some of
the most formative years of my life in Nicaragua. I have married
and had a child here. I’ve had two of my longest-lasting
jobs here. My worldview and sense of humor has been colored by
these seven years outside of the United States. I’ve become
more callous (yet not indifferent) to the raw realities of a people
who live on a survival basis. I’ve grown richer from the
pride and spirit I sense in Nicaraguan folk music and dance. |
