So this week, I'm pretty much in Ghana. :) A small town/village...riding on lots of public transportation (love it!) and eating all Ghanaian food (except for the peanut butter crackers that my sweet Pam sent!!). I spent yesterday afternoon just walking around the town and it was so fun. I'll save fun details for a full-on post with pictures.
Yesterday, Margaret and I took a (much needed) day off. We went and relaxed by the pool all afternoon. It was wonderful! It's nice living in a climate where you can go to the pool year round. :)
So while we were at the pool, Margaret and I talked a lot about culture and culture shock. I had a little training before I left the US, and Margaret had a lot. We learned about learning about a different culture, living in a different culture, being relevant there, and dealing with culture shock. And of course, we both related this all to living in Ghanaian culture. But what Margaret and I discovered is that we don't live in Ghanaian culture. We live in this weird-in-between culture. Not Ghana, not America...something in between. As I type, I'm sitting in American International School (they needed me to sub today)...in air conditioning...with many kids from a western culture. Even when I'm not here, my days are typically filled with interactions with white folks. And our lives are dramatically different from typical Ghanaians. But they are also dramatically different from y'all in America. We've got a foot in each culture. Which is fun (cause we can go back and forth) but sometimes confusing.
Margaret was reading a book yesterday about missionaries and cultural adjustment. And although its a great book, it doesn't at all address living in a bizarre culture like we do.
When I signed on to post this, blogger came up in Italian (I think?) and I (obviously) can't figure out how to switch it back. Funny.
Happy B? :)
8 comments:
Very happy indeed, thank you.
You emailed me about this said 'culture shock' last week... you're doin' great kid!
Keep it up.
I'm so glad you have Margaret.
Either Blogger's clock is off or Caroline is some crazy night owl...
Tater I miss your face
Maybe it's Ghanaian time? Right now here it's 12:43pm, let's see what the time stamp says, this will be fun! (I've got to get out more)
Third culture kids don't just get their name from nowhere, you know. We don't really belong here, nor do we belong in whatever country we lived in/grew up in.
Sad, but I don't feel like I belong anywhere.
Marie belongs to me.
Marie-Claire, I love you and you belong right here in Marietta and if you get lonely for france we'll sing the i-yi-yi-yi song... deal?
Tatum, miss ya!
stay on top of my life in Alabama, even though it is DEFINITELY not as interesting as your tales in Ghana...
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