Giving Love a Little Shove

Hey, a lot has happened since my last post, but I'm not going to go over it in full. This isn't much of a recap blog. I'm not just going to log my schedule over the past few days. I don't owe you that; step off.

I'm here just to talk about culture shock and expatriation.

It's difficult to accurately present how my first week in China has gone. I don't want to paint it too obnoxiously bright, because that will omit the important struggles and low points. However, I don't want to over-present its more difficult aspects, because it will paint my overall mood as depressed, which it's not. At all.

I have absolutely loved this first week, but spare moments have been a very special brand of loneliness. Not because I don't know anybody. I could have moved to Boise and not known anybody. But a culture shapes so much of how its people think, and how their personalities develop. It's like everybody in the same culture has their brain tuned into the same radio station. It's an exhilarating and tiring feeling to be one of the few not tuned in.

My dietary habits personally encapsulate the ebb and flow of this experience. When I try new, signature Chinese foods, they sometimes taste amazing. I savor it, and can't wait to try it again. I know if America took a stab at this particular dish, it would taste inferior. However, sometimes the cuisine is completely unappealing. I don't want my chicken cold and slimy. I want to retreat to the American chains. But when I go to KFC and Subway, it tastes somehow off. No restaurant here, even if USA-originated, can truly emulate the food that I grew up with.

Despite this explanation, I want you to all understand just how amazing this week has been. I have made so many new friends. I have visited my school and sat in on classes. I am so excited to get my own class and students, and I know it will be an amazing growing experience. If you want more details on what my company is like, or my school, you can talk to me privately.

This is going to be an amazingly transforming experience. It will be an adventure that I will be desperately thankful that I had, no matter if it last only a year or longer. I know that it will ebb and flow; some days will be harder than others. The only unifying characteristics of these disparate days will be the plans in motion by the loving hands of God. So my purpose in glorifying God will propel the days forward. Be praying that I can palpably feel God's hands in my life, and that my heart would be stilled to listen to Him every moment of every day!