It is typical to write about the past year and show all of the lessons that you have learned. I have a lot of things to reflect on as this year begins but I would like to highlight one thing that I have been learning in my time away.
Family is really important.
This past Christmas Eve, I found out that my smart, compassionate, and always funny grandfather had passed. He was the man with life lessons and was such an amazing example of what a marriage should look like. He had an unwavering faith and so much love for his family. He was 90 years old and going strong. He had just been to Mexico this last summer for a destination wedding. He has spent time with his first great-grand child. None of us really wanted to accept that he was getting older and I was so sad when I heard he was gone from this earth.
Knowing that I couldn't be back with my family during this time was difficult. It made me have to literally weigh the cost of being here. So many times I feel as if God has gifted me with an adventure to be on, but sometimes its very difficult when I don't get to experience it with the ones that I already love so much. It is really difficult when I knew that I couldn't physically be there for my mom and everyone else who was missing "Poppie".
Aside from losing someone so dear, I have learned a lot about family from the culture here. Many of the families struggle to provide and so they have to send out overseas workers in order to provide for the family. The family here doesn't just mean your mom, dad, and children. Family here translates to aunts, uncles, cousins, mom, dad, siblings and ALL of their children. I have learned from many of my students that you are expected to contribute to the family finances if you are the eldest child. You are also often expected to do what your parents do for a living. Many of the students feel pressured but they are motivated by a great sense of loyalty and love for their family unit.
I am an independent American and sometimes this is hard for me to understand. How would I feel if I was pressured to meet the needs of my family financially just because of birth order? How would I feel if I had to have a certain job just because that is the job that my family was used to doing?
Many of my perspectives have been challenged while living here but I think the biggest realization is how much I love my family. Sometimes you just don't realize what you have until you're half way across the world!
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—Psalm 103:17