It's Shocking

Early on in our journey one of the most common questions about moving, and living, cross culturally is the question of cultural differences, and the idea of culture shock.  

I would like to thank Nita who asked:

“I’d like to know about the culture shock. Obviously you were expecting something like different food and different ways to get things done. What has been the oddest thing for you guys so far that you weren’t expecting?”

And Paul who asked:

“Are there any unique quirks or oddities indicative of the culture? … What is the food like? Have you tried anything really unique yet? Have you tried anything really good yet?”

I would like to digest these questions with a two-part answer. Firstly, I will more generally discuss what happens in cultural transition (clearly from my experience).  And Secondly, I would like to discuss some specific differences that we have experienced.

(In the post script I will put our prayer request.  Please tell me how I can pray for you in the comment sections below and on Facebook.  Also, in the post script, I will give instructions on how to support us on the field.  We are still raising money for a vehicle and need continued help to reach our goal.)

Let’s dive in. 

Culture Shock

What is culture shock? Merriam-Webster gives a good definition: Culture shock is “a sense of confusion and uncertainty sometimes with feelings of anxiety that may affect people exposed to an alien culture or environment without adequate preparation.”  Also the word “shock” implies an experience that is significant in magnitude.  I expect this shock is different from person to person and certainly varies between experiences. 

In general, what Jen and I have experienced is not shock, as such, as we go from the US to France to Senegal.  The idea of shock leads itself to an idea of jumping from a hot shower to a cold pool.  The sudden shifts in energy states creates an extreme physiological reaction. 

The same can be true between cultures as you plunge from one culture to the next.  You can experience extreme reactions to the sudden change in cultural states.  Why this happens is that we  stay in the hot shower for too long focusing on the shower as we dive into the pool.

We are raised in our home culture and we begin to take our cultural structures and assumptions as fact. Without a critical eye to deconstruct and understand, we will be diving from hot shower to cold pool or vice versa.  I believe that is why we label something a person does in another culture as odd.  It is because we are trying to experience the pool as a shower.  For them there is nothing odd about what they are doing it’s just different.

I believe cultural shock may be the most profound for the vacationer or the colonialist.  Often these are the two types who are perfectly fine judging all experiences by the standard of their home culture. For the vacationer this may be perfectly fine and mostly benign.  The vacationer often is looking for that new experience.  For the them the disorientation of culture shock adds to their experience, and makes for a good story.

However, for the colonialist, culture shock will be thoroughly destructive. The colonialist will try to judge, and change, their host culture by the assumptions of their home culture. History is replete with fine examples of this. (These aren’t the only two categories, by any means, but two extreme categories which lend themselves well to generalization.)

On the other hand, (keeping with the pool metaphor), if you take the time after a quick shower (for hygiene purposes of course (I am talking about getting into a public swimming pools)) to regard the pool, test the water, and develop a strategy (which is why I like the phrase “adequate preparation” in the M-W definition above).   Then plunge into the pool will be less traumatic.  I know I will swim at least one lap before I will become acclimated to the water.  There will be stress to the system, but my goal is not a simple dip in the pool but a long swim. 

We experience the daily stress of living cross culturally.  Shops aren’t the same, people interact differently, the energy is profoundly different from place to place, but it is not shock as much as it is stress.  What helps me, is that I don’t look for the French to be Americans, or the Senegalese to be French, I want the Senegalese to be Senegalese and the French to be French and the Americans to be Americans.  

When I experience the life of the Senegalese for the Senegalese my base cultural programing and assumptions are challenged because the Senegalese show me another way.  This is when stress enters in.  The stress occurs from trying to figure out how to marry my home culture with the new culture.  What are the rules and the expectations for me in this situation? So yes cultural stress and not shock. 

Specifics Stories

Now for some specifics. 

            traffic

There first thing in Senegal you will notice is the chaos of traffic. There are people who vend produce, fireworks, paper towels, Yankee hats, etc. walking in between cars on the highway. Granted the highway rarely goes fast in those parts. There are people who ride the bus on the back bumper. I actually think that is the preferred method to ride the bus for some.  Vehicles exist in various states of repair and disrepair (and various states of being a horse and trailer). 

And yet with all of this I oddly feel at home.  The energy and chaos reminds me mildly of Philly roads (if you removed all of the road signs, lane markers, and replaced the street lights with traffic circles).  Every driver is going to get into traffic unapologetically and still everyone is communication with arm signals and honks of the horn.  The horn here has the same significance as a turn signal in the states.

One of my favorite moments of vehicle to vehicle communication was when one of our taxi drivers stuck his head out the window and gave a brief instructional course in driving to another motorist.  Of course I don’t think any of the Wolof words he used will be in my language learning sessions anytime soon.

            Food

Nita and Paul you asked about the food specifically.  For this I will and contrast French and Senegal.  For us the Senegalese food is closer to the food we would seek out in the States.  We love food from every culture.  If you visited us in Pennsylvania Hannah would have brought you a Taiwanese cook book to read, because it was one of her favorite books.  We would drive an hour to Elmira to eat at an Indian restaurant.  We love exploring the world through food.  So the spicy fish and chicken dishes of Thieboudienne and yaasa are right up our alley. 

France, on the other hand, was quite different, the food was rich and hearty. The food of the Savoir region in France contained a lot of starch, cheese, and sausage.  A bit unexpected.  When I thought of French food, before heading to France, I thought of high end, Avant-guard, new and surprising food.  Instead it was closer to the hearty comfort food I grew up with.  Still good, but not what we were expecting.

Here is where we have a lot to learn from France and Senegal.  Specifically, in France, the table was sacred. The French food, made from the best ingredients produced on our planet (without hyperbole), were to be treated with respect.  You would never think to eat and walk at the same time.  The one exception was tearing small pieces from a baguette during the walk home at the afternoon gouté.  The table is where life was shared.  You would dine together for hours around the table.  Even at parties you sat at a table as opposed to mingling with finger food. 

In Senegal, food is even more precious because it is not guaranteed. So you share a plate together in the late afternoon sitting under the shade of a tree.  Often you will see men sharing a common plate of Thieboudienne eating with their hands. Together they share life. 

We Americans must learn from our friends around the world.  We often treat food with contempt.  Glutting ourselves with fast-food as we try to shave on our commute to work. There in, I believe, lies the root of much of our obesity and consumption problems.

            Contrast of wealth and poverty

Another area causing some stress right now (because we are still learning how to lovingly navigate it) is the vast difference in wealth between the majority world and the west.  For example, in France I was just another lower middleclass shlub like the rest.  In the US, I would often have to turndown invitations because I was not able to afford one event or the other. 

However, here I am (on about the same salary as I had in the states) like a Bill Gates or dare I say it Donald Trump.  We in the western world have significant difficulty understanding the realities of poverty in much of the world.  My gut reaction is to ask “what can I do to help?” Seldom is the answer easy. 

            Family

One last specific: family life here is considerably different.  I was speaking with a man recently who told the story of his childhood.  He spoke of his difficulties with sharing his father with a few other families for his father had several wives.  A story which mirrored the pages of Genesis.  Once again my values and cultural foundations were challenged and stressed.  Polygamy is a rhetorical devise for us but for many around the world it is a reality.

Thank you

I want to thank you for asking me about our life here. 2 years of writer’s block was cured with some very good questions.  Please keep asking more!  What do you want to hear about next?  Is there a question that has been burning on your heart for a while? Thank you for helping me.  I love to sharing my life with you, my friends and faithful followers.

I also want to thank everyone who has given thus far to our car fund.  The amount is going up.  But we still need some more.  Here is a picture of all 5 of us crammed into the back of a tax.  Your support is essential for us to continue the work of Jesus here in Africa.  We are grateful for your both your prayers and financial support.

If you would like to give to our car fund give to our vehicle fund.  Go to https://secure.cmalliance.org/give/ and put “Hahn Family – Vehicle fund” in the memo line of the giving form: "Give to International Workers and Special Projects".

Prayer requests:

            Praise

- We found a house that was within our budget.  It is much bigger than we expected so we hope we can use it to be a blessing. 

- The girls are in love with Senegal.

- We are already making friends here. 

            Prayer

- Pray that we can raise enough money for our vehicle. 

- Pray for the girls as we transition into a new house and a new rhythm of life. 

- Pray that we would thrive in the cross cultural stress. 

- Pray for our team and the other teams of the area as we have a big meeting this week to seek God over the future mission here.

- Pray for good relationships within our team. 

Finally, how can we pray for you?  Leave your prayer requests and questions in the comments below or on Facebook. 

Finally my prayer for you is that you would find ways to display the love of Jesus the next time you go to another culture or the next time you meet someone who is from another culture.  And as always I pray that your love in Him would grow.