When smoke filled the stairwell and slipped under the apartment doors on the third floor, the Tuktaway family was huddled in their living room on the sixth floor, high above the ice-covered city of Ulaanbaatar. The three Tuktaway children fought over who would sit closest to the heater, when the …
Culture TOPIC: Country Life vs. City Life
In the U.S. we have a saying, "You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy." In this month's culture topic, you'll dive into the advantages and disadvantages of living in the country and the city. Consider using this topic for understanding the attitudes …
Diamonds in the Dump–a look at Culture Shock Part 3
Besides nurturing your relationship with God, here's another strategy for persevering through Culture Shock, the second in the Stages of Acculturation. Nurture Your Relationship with Your Spouse. This is another commitment that is significantly longer than the commitment to service overseas. …
Culture Shock
Today I find myself struggling to find the encouragement to study Romanian and to pursue relationships with those whom God has called me to work. I speak a different language, grew up in a different culture, and have lived a far different life from Romanians and Roma. Although I have been critical …
Diamonds in the Dump–a look at Culture Shock–Part 2
Just knowing that the process of acculturation is normal and that Culture Shock will naturally pass on its own is an encouragement! But how do you walk “through the glass” without getting hurt? Having a strategy will not only get you through the dark time of culture shock, it will enable you to …
“euphoria”
In the first stage of ACCULTURATION, an immigrant, a long-term expatriate or a refugee experiences a period in which the customs, food, sights, and newness of the country is received with delight. Worries and fears are downplayed during this stage where everything else is interesting. The individual …
Nature’s Pets
I will never forget my first day in the United States when I stood on the balcony of my apartment and looked out over the lush, green yard at the back of the building. A big, gray rabbit suddenly appeared and started on a large meal without any concern about his surroundings. He stayed in one place …
Weather Lag
Dry out the webbed feet. Be reminded of what the sun looks like. Warm up and have some fun. Winter vacations to warm places, for PNW-erners, are soothing respites from chilling rain and cloudy skies. We've been transplanted to the dry, Siberian, polluted cold of Ulaanbaatar. We had looked …
my obsession with “international” begins
My Blog--June 2016 The rowdy upperclassmen barked at me from the corner of the study hall whenever I entered the room. No, I mean it, they barked like dogs. If they weren’t barking, they mooed like love-sick cows. I’d hear their comments under their breath, “There’s an ugly one.” A few students …