Culture Shock Part 3

Culture shock....I thought that after a year I would be more adapted to this culture.  God gives me grace everyday, but it is still hard to fit in.  I was talking with my daughter and asked her why I still stand out.  She said its the way I dress.  This is my style, but my style is American style not Euro style.  Where does American end and Ukrainian begin?  Am I supposed to be meshing more, standing out less, looking less like a foreigner and more like a Ukrainian.  My mindset and my own deep rooted American culture clashes with that of those that I am around everyday.  And it does make it difficult to functions sometimes.

Apartment Building not to far from our house.

This culture is against everything that I am, as a saved person, as an American person, as a moral person, and as my individual personality would allow.  Here, it is normal when people are late, no matter what the profession or position.  Everyone bribes everyone, from the top to the bottom.  I have seen more than my fair share of that.  NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE wants to follow traffic laws.  They go where they want to go when they want to go.  A red light means absolutely nothing.  And grown men going to the bathroom where ever they please....

My first wreck in Ukraine.  The tram run a red light and hit the light green car, then that car hit me.

But, in our little church, their are the most precious people.  Despite our cultural differences, they love my Saviour.  We share the same desires and have the same Holy Spirit living within.  Yes, they maybe late for church.  But they don't have the nice air conditioned/heated vehicle to take them where they need to go.  They have to walk, ride public transportation, and sometimes many different forms of transportation to get to church. There are seats on the buses, trams, and metros, but seats are not guaranteed.   Some of them are from the village, and takes them at least an hour and a half to get to church.  So it is love, a desire to fellowship with those (as the Apostle Peter put it) of like precious faith, and a longing to hear God's Word that brings them.  After such a long trip in the unbearably hot or cold weather, would you come to church with a huge smile on your face?  They do :)  They encourage me like not other could. 

So, though I still struggle, God is so good.  He encourages me through the people of God, and through my personal Bible study.  Though I really miss my family and church family, what grace God has given; for homesickness is not something I struggle with as much as I used to. 

This now means I have finally made it to the Adjustment phase: Again, after some time, (usually around 6-12 months) one becomes more familiar and comfortable with the culture, people, food, and language of the new country. One will likely feel less homesick and will have a better handle on the situations that they previously found frustrating. The culture begins to make sense, and negative reactions and responses to the culture are reduced.

Ukraine feels more and more like home.  I'm still learning the language, and can not communicate as much as I would like.  But how do you describe the grace of God in a situation like this.  It is so true what people say, that sometimes you have to experience something's in order to receive the most from that situation.  Sometimes, something's are just indescribable!