Communication and Lessons of being an American

This week I attended a Time For God Conference in Muswell Hill- a section of London about 30 minutes from Camden. Time for God is the organization that the ELCA sent me through in the United States. Time for God is actually responsible directly for my placement in the UK.

There were 20 volunteers at this prep conference and I was the ONLY American and the ONLY one who didn't have English as a second language. The group was quite diverse as there were people from South Korea, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Sweeden. When I first arrived and saw that everyone was getting into their "country language" groups, I thought it was going to be a very long and lonely week. However, I made a promise to myself that I was not going to shut down and be by myself. I was going to make every effort possible to engage everyone and not let language and culture differences seperate me from the rest of the group.

At first, people poked fun at my American accent and laughed at my "high fives" which all seemed to fall into the general stereotype of how Americans interact with each other. Although people were very nice, it was quite obvious that they had their ideas about what American's were like. I decided that I would try and break those stereotypes by joining the group in going to a local pub. With my presence, it forced everyone to speak English which went over better with some than others. However, this sentiment soon changed as we got into an amazing discussion about country stereotypes. I got a full description as to what multiple countries think of America. Perhaps the most striking aspect was everyone's agreement that American's always get what they want and never stop to ask questions as to what other people need. (This concept was brought out further a day later by a simple conference group game. Everyone wanted to be on my team! Ironically- my team won. Maybe this says somthing)It, infact suprised many of the volunteers that I was even curious and asking questions about their home countries.

The night at the Pub ended with an incredible conversation about homesickness. It took place between 2 Hungarians, a South Korean, a German, an Italian, and an American! It all of a sudden bridged different worlds together for me. Here I am coming from a context that is different from many of these other people, but the reason that I am sacrificing many elements for a year- a comfortable environment, family, girlfriend, close friends etc. is remarkably the same to the others. All of us are looking for who we are and who God is in the world. All of us are driven by a passion that there can be understanding and respect for things that are different. All of us are here to learn as well as help.

And so I learned that I am not alone in this whole thing. Sure, there is God and the ever deepening and challenging of my faith. But, there are also people that are different from me who want to be challenged and grow like me. There are strangers out there that you might pass by thinking that it is too hard to connect. But if you just let yourself be open to possibilities and give a little bit of time. Strangers can become amazing friends.