Being a foreigner has it challenges and some days have more than others.
Recently my housemate and I went through a ridiculous experience that ended in us taking an air conditioner and it’s giant motor half way across the city to be returned.
Two weeks ago we found a great deal on AC units and because our apartment traps an abnormally high amount of humidity with very little air flow my housemate and I were ecstatic to potentially be getting something that would bring us cooler air.
We waited until today for them to be delivered which was an experience in itself. I had multiple different people telling me different things. One person called and said tomorrow they would come to install the units, but a different person would bring the units. Another person called and said the people who install the units will also be bringing them. Although I am at a point in the language where I think I have a good idea of what is being said and can respond with simple sentences, I even had a language helper call for me to verify what was going on.
The next day they came to install them, but there were some miscommunications with our landlord and building manager and they would not let us install the units on the walls. After all this time we spent going to look for them, purchase them and work out the details about who is coming and how will the units get here now we realize we won’t be able to use them.
So … we spent the day finding a way to get them back to the store. We used a taxi and our muscle strength to get them back. We praise the Lord the process was smooth in returning them, but what a crazy day!
Even after nine months of being here it is still hard and in some ways even harder. I’d expect myself to be able to communicate better and not misunderstand what people are saying so often. But it was a great reminder today how hard it is to be a foreigner sometimes.
Things that you think will be simple just aren’t. Cultures are different, expectations are different and assumptions shared by the hosting culture blow right over the foreigner’s head.
It was amazing to see how gracious the people were to us. We don’t understand what they say and they find a way for us to understand. So many people have to take so much more time with us to explain things, slow down, say things differently, etc.
Being a foreigner can be really frustrating at times, but it becomes a lot more doable when people are willing to work with me.
I find this to be a great reminder for my future, especially if I end up back in the states.
Give the foreigners in your midst grace and take some extra time out of your day to try and meet them where they are at. It could mean the difference between them spending their off day reading a book OR carrying an AC motor across the city ;)