Language, Communication, and Cultural Differences.
Hello,
Things are better than my last post. I felt the need to start this post off by easing any minds that were worried about me and my homesickness. I am doing better. Thank you for the concern, thank you for the prayers, and thank you for the encouragement. Everyday I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the community that surrounds and grounds me. But it's when I am feeling particularly sad that people send love and encouragement from all directions and my heart swells. Grateful just doesn't seem to communicate how I truly feel but for a lack of better words, I will say that I am grateful. Grateful for community, encouragement, and Christ's attributes found in people.
Anyways, now that we are done with my sappy note, I have things to share!! As always, I want to start this post with a story or some background information--the rising action as some may say. So, when I was deciding where to study abroad last year, I chose Spain specifically for the language. As most of you know, I am studying to be a bilingual teacher so not only was Spain one of the cheaper abroad programs but it also tied in directly to what I wanted to do with my major. I was generally worried about the language barrier but for some reason, it fell way to the back burner as I was more concerned about transfer credits, living situations, and other details like that. So, I didn't really entertain the idea of not being able to communicate once I got here. However, that quickly caught up to me the second I landed in Madrid and couldn't understand that my connecting flight's gate was changed because the person who announced it didn't speak any English. In that situation, my minimal Spanish and hand gestures could only get me so far.
There were other moments in the first few days where the language barrier hit me like a ton of bricks but those are stories for another time. What I am trying to get at here is that in my month here, my eyes have been opened to the importance of language and communication. Language allows you to ask questions, communicate your feelings, and express yourself. When your communication is restricted, your feelings and expressions can be restricted as well.
Oddly enough, as I was going through the whirlwind of culture shock, the Lord asked me to dive into Ezekiel. So, I sat down and did as I was told. The first couple chapters of Ezekiel actually talk about tied tongues (go figure). In Ezekiel 3, the Lord warns Ezekiel that he is to go to Jerusalem and rebuke the people but his tongue will cling to the roof of his mouth. Weird, I know. As I dug into this (with my study Bible) I found that the Lord was telling Ezekiel these things as in a figurative sense. The Lord was saying that the people would be apprehensive to hear what he has to say so it was by his actions that Ezekiel was expected to minister. This seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear. I am currently in this wonderful country where I can barely communicate with anyone. My tongue feels like it is clung to the roof of my mouth; my actions are now here to do the talking. And that had me thinking: how was I portraying myself to the people around me who I can't communicate with?
When I am back home, if I do something ridiculous I can explain myself. Here, the situation is a little different. I have to express myself and display Christ in other ways than verbal communication. This also seems to be particularly hard here given the cultural differences in nonverbal communication. For example, Spanish people rarely smile at other people passing on the street and politeness is shown in different ways than I am used to. Things that may be mistaken as rude in the States are completely polite here and vice versa. It's all about learning the ropes and figuring out who Christ is to these people--how you can communicate His love without being off-putting.
So, it seems like this post has no end to it and that is because I have no clue how to wrap it up. Wherever you may be in your life right now, whether that be in a foreign country, in a new scenario at home, or in the same situations you are used to, I encourage you to evaluate how you are preaching the gospel through all means of communication. A few verses before Ezekiel is told that his tongue will be metaphorically clung to the roof of his mouth, he was told to keep preaching the good news even if no one is listening. And that is what I would like to encourage you in: seek to display Christ in every aspect of communication whether that be verbal or nonverbal. If people aren't listening to your actual words--don't stop speaking truth--but also don't stop loving and pursuing relationships because that's what the Lord does. He is truth and He pursues. Regardless of rejection, regardless of the ability to verbally communicate, and regardless of cultural differences. We are called to do the same.
In Christ,
Sydney
Things are better than my last post. I felt the need to start this post off by easing any minds that were worried about me and my homesickness. I am doing better. Thank you for the concern, thank you for the prayers, and thank you for the encouragement. Everyday I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the community that surrounds and grounds me. But it's when I am feeling particularly sad that people send love and encouragement from all directions and my heart swells. Grateful just doesn't seem to communicate how I truly feel but for a lack of better words, I will say that I am grateful. Grateful for community, encouragement, and Christ's attributes found in people.
Anyways, now that we are done with my sappy note, I have things to share!! As always, I want to start this post with a story or some background information--the rising action as some may say. So, when I was deciding where to study abroad last year, I chose Spain specifically for the language. As most of you know, I am studying to be a bilingual teacher so not only was Spain one of the cheaper abroad programs but it also tied in directly to what I wanted to do with my major. I was generally worried about the language barrier but for some reason, it fell way to the back burner as I was more concerned about transfer credits, living situations, and other details like that. So, I didn't really entertain the idea of not being able to communicate once I got here. However, that quickly caught up to me the second I landed in Madrid and couldn't understand that my connecting flight's gate was changed because the person who announced it didn't speak any English. In that situation, my minimal Spanish and hand gestures could only get me so far.
There were other moments in the first few days where the language barrier hit me like a ton of bricks but those are stories for another time. What I am trying to get at here is that in my month here, my eyes have been opened to the importance of language and communication. Language allows you to ask questions, communicate your feelings, and express yourself. When your communication is restricted, your feelings and expressions can be restricted as well.
Oddly enough, as I was going through the whirlwind of culture shock, the Lord asked me to dive into Ezekiel. So, I sat down and did as I was told. The first couple chapters of Ezekiel actually talk about tied tongues (go figure). In Ezekiel 3, the Lord warns Ezekiel that he is to go to Jerusalem and rebuke the people but his tongue will cling to the roof of his mouth. Weird, I know. As I dug into this (with my study Bible) I found that the Lord was telling Ezekiel these things as in a figurative sense. The Lord was saying that the people would be apprehensive to hear what he has to say so it was by his actions that Ezekiel was expected to minister. This seemed to be exactly what I needed to hear. I am currently in this wonderful country where I can barely communicate with anyone. My tongue feels like it is clung to the roof of my mouth; my actions are now here to do the talking. And that had me thinking: how was I portraying myself to the people around me who I can't communicate with?
When I am back home, if I do something ridiculous I can explain myself. Here, the situation is a little different. I have to express myself and display Christ in other ways than verbal communication. This also seems to be particularly hard here given the cultural differences in nonverbal communication. For example, Spanish people rarely smile at other people passing on the street and politeness is shown in different ways than I am used to. Things that may be mistaken as rude in the States are completely polite here and vice versa. It's all about learning the ropes and figuring out who Christ is to these people--how you can communicate His love without being off-putting.
So, it seems like this post has no end to it and that is because I have no clue how to wrap it up. Wherever you may be in your life right now, whether that be in a foreign country, in a new scenario at home, or in the same situations you are used to, I encourage you to evaluate how you are preaching the gospel through all means of communication. A few verses before Ezekiel is told that his tongue will be metaphorically clung to the roof of his mouth, he was told to keep preaching the good news even if no one is listening. And that is what I would like to encourage you in: seek to display Christ in every aspect of communication whether that be verbal or nonverbal. If people aren't listening to your actual words--don't stop speaking truth--but also don't stop loving and pursuing relationships because that's what the Lord does. He is truth and He pursues. Regardless of rejection, regardless of the ability to verbally communicate, and regardless of cultural differences. We are called to do the same.
In Christ,
Sydney
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