To the Ends of the Earth

Cultural Experiences

2007-07-16T05:19:00.001-07:00

This week I've been scared for my life (I mean, I was seriously afraid I was going to die), a wedding crasher yet at the same time an honored guest, and totally dominated in both soccer and badminton by kids and people old enough to be my grandparents (well almost old enough).

I'll elaborate on my experiences....

My language tutor invited me to a wedding. I couldn't really tell how he knew the people, but he said the groom worked with him. My transportation to the wedding was on the back of a motorcycle, but in America it would barely pass for a moped. It's just a step up from a bicycle basically. I though Father was about to bring me home on the back of this motorcycle. Let me explain why. Traffic here doesn't follow the clean cut rules we're used to in America. It's more like water, just taking the path of least resistance. You're supposed to drive on the left side of the road, but hey, if it's easier for you to drive on the right side for a little bit...no problem. maybe you need to turn into traffic...no need to look, just go. Everyone will stop for you. Not only are yellow lights suggestions, but pretty much all single traffic signals and signs and lines on the road are suggestions. You might describe traffic here as being post modern. Rules and truths are very relative. Do you want to drive 20 km/hr while the guy next to you is doing 80 km/hr and the guy next to him is doing 55 km/hr? No problem. What's right for you is right for you.

So with that in mind try to imagine riding for several miles through a busy down town, cutting off dump trucks carrying large boulders, never yielding for anyone, passing on blind corners, all while dodging in and out of traffic where everybody drives at their own pace. This is why I thought I was about to go home. I know this sounds funny now, but trust me, it was NOT funny at all when it was happening. My tutor was trying to talk to me while we were riding, but I was to focused on staying alive to respond to whatever he was saying.

I guess you can tell that because I'm writing this I made it to and from the wedding safely. So let me tell you about the wedding. It was in a village a little ways out of the city. I went uninvited by the bride or groom or either's family. Instead I was invited by an mere acquaintance of the alleged groom. If someone does this in America they're crashing a wedding, no bones about it. But not here. I was an honored guest. Everyone was happy to try out their English phrases on me. "Hallo, mister." "Where you come from?" It sounds a little funny, but now that I think about it, that's probably what I sound like to them when I try out my language. What goes around comes around. (Although I don't believe in karma.) Where was I? So I'm at this wedding and I can see with my own eyes a young couple dressed in traditional wedding clothes sitting in this tent sort of thing that's decorated all traditional and stuff. And as I'm looking at what I'm still sure to this day was the bride and groom, some guy comes up and introduces himself as the groom. I can see the real groom right behind him! What the deal? Something MUST have gotten tangled up in the language barrier. That's the only thing I can figure. After a while, my language tutor asked me if I wanted to go see the bride and groom. I had seen the bride and groom go into a nearby house, so I was a little surprised when we started walking to the traditional tent. I thought he just took me there so I could take a picture of it, but I was wrong again. I was ushered into the very seat I had seen the real bride and groom and seated next to my male language teacher....as though we were getting married. At this point I laughed out loud. Here's a picture of the situation for your enjoyment.

The next morning he took me to play badminton with some of his friends, which were really his dad's friends. They really wanted me to play this one guy that was probably over 60, and I got dominated. In my defense it was the very first time I'd ever played this sport, but I thought my youthful athleticism would give me an edge on this grandfatherly man. Boy was I wrong. He was slamming that bird thing in my face like every single time. I was hitting the bird as hard as I could and it looked like it was just wafting in the breeze, but when this guy hit it, it was like he was shooting BB's at me. What a humbling experience.

Today I was so pumped to try out my new soccer cleats (which, buy the way, I got a pretty dang good deal on (I was trained under the master on deal finding abilities (That's enough parentheses within parentheses (Ok, just one more.).).)). I'd like an English major to please check that use of punctuation. Now, back on track. New cleats. Excited. Oh yeah, I took them out to the soccer field and the guys saw my cleats, which they thought looked pretty cool, and I'll have to agree with them. Then they asked me my name. David.....which happens to be the same first name the most famous soccer player in the world right now. David Beckham. With the new cleats and the name these guys are thinking I'm gonna be awesome. What a disappointment it must have been for them to find out that I'm absolutely terrible. I'm probably worse at soccer than I am at badminton.

Despite feeling awkward in new cultural situations and bringing shame to America in two sports, I'm hoping there will be significant relationships built with my language tutor and the soccer guys. Ask that there would be openness in these guys.

Arrival

2007-07-07T00:27:00.001-07:00

So I made it to my destination about 3 full days after leaving. I've been here a few days and am starting to get over some serious jet lag. I've sort of settled into a room, but I don't think I'll be in the same room for long. Hopefully I'll upgrade rooms later this month. I guess you start out on the bottom and work your way up.

I've been shown around town by an awesome national who's on our team. He's taken me to see a lot of the effects of the tsunami. Most of life appears to be back to normal, but I suspect there is still deep hurt within the people. Below are a few of the visible effects still left.

This is a ship in the middle a road in middle of a village 10 km (6 mi.) from the ocean. Directly underneath it used to be three houses.

This is a mass graveyard with approximately 10,000 bodies. Everyone in this city was very close to someone who died in the tsunami. There are many more mass graves like this one.

This was a functioning lighthouse with brick before the tsunami. Now all the brick has been ripped off. The water also reached the very top and knocked off the light. This light house is 30m tall, which is pushing 100ft.

This is the Grand Mosque for this city. It's almost 200 years old.

Today I went to a village with over 100 houses that were built using the money many of you give to annually. I was able to stop by a coffee shop, which most of you would mistake for an uninhabited shed, and talk with some of the guys who live in the village. The wind started blowing really hard and they all got really scared because that's how the wind blew before the wave hit. The entire village; houses, trees, and all; was completely leveled by the tsunami.

On a lighter note, the coffee I drank in this shed was hands down the absolute best coffee I've ever had in my entire life. I'm sure that none of my favorite spots in Auburn can even come close to competing. If you're really into coffee, stop drinking the $4 cups, save your money, fly over here, and go to any coffee shop (or shed) and have your fill for $0.15 a cup. Incredible. By the way, I'm still looking forward to my first cup of civet coffee.

Time is tickin' away, tick, tick, tickin' away

2007-06-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

Oh, Toby, your thuggish lyrics are so hard core (and appropriate for the times). So I'm a week away from departure and have been spending the last few days getting outfitted. That's about all the action I've been seeing lately too. I've pretty much been a bum other than that. (And let me tell you, day time TV is sub-par. Not good at all. The agony of it alone should be motivation enough for people to find a job.) But I guess that's what you do when you're an unemployed college graduate living at home for 6 weeks with your friends scattered about in Africa and Auburn, both pretty far from Winfield. So needless to say I'm ready to go so I can get in a little more active rhythm....that is if I even have a rhythm while I'm there. I'm still not so keen on leaving behind my family and friends for so long, but I suspect, or maybe expect is a better word, that I'll be comforted by the One who comforts when I miss home.

I spoke in Winfield last Sunday night. I'll share in Auburn tomorrow morning and be sent out tomorrow night. Tomorrow will be my last assembly for a year. That's gonna stink. But thanks to the wonderful people at Apple producing an incredible product known as the iPod, I'll be able to take some encouragement with me along with some inspiring audio. I'm doubting it will be as good as the real thing, but hey, Splenda is almost as good as real sugar. Splenda may just have to do for a year though, but hopefully we'll see the first authentic local sugar while I'm there. Regardless, I'll keep you posted on how it taste.

T minus 3 weeks and counitng

2007-06-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning of my blog. I don't even know if I'll keep doing this. But I'm at least going to start it. This will keep my update emails from being too long and boring. So here goes.

I'm in Winfield now trying to get things ready for next year. It doesn't really seem real at this point. It's less than three weeks till I leave but somehow that seems like ages from now. I'm very anxious about going, but it's the good kind of anxious not the paralyzing fear kind of anxious. It's more like a 5 year old waiting for Christmas. It's not all sweet though. There's a little sour. I'm not really happy about being away from my family and friends for so long. And I'm not looking forward to a year's drought from a local body....no quality expositions, no singing. Those are the things I'm going to miss the most. I guess I'll probably miss some of the nice American amenities too, but I'll miss the people the most.

I also just got my plane tickets in the mail today. So that kinda helps the realness of it all soak in.