Culture Shock... er... adjustment to the US

Aha! And you thought I'd dropped off the face of the earth! ;) Actually, I've been adjusting to life back in the US and enjoying some wonderful time with family, friends and my church. I "got off the boat" so-to-speak three weeks ago today and each of those weeks was full of things to get used to again (or be excited to have access to):

• wall-to-wall carpet!
• kitchen islands!
• green green well-manicured lawns
• lots and lots of walking trails and amazing parks
• press and seal! (what an amazing invention!)
• ziplocks-a-plenty
• sidewalks that you can actually walk on
• no parking on sidewalks -- the car must be in the gutter with not even a tire sneaking up on the sidewalk
• no yellow light to let you know the green light is coming
• wide-open spaces... aka "big sky", rolling hills, cows and wild horses
• public restrooms don't have squatties, but do have TP and soap
• having to drive to the store 2-4 miles away rather than just walking 10-feet out the front door
• salad spinners
• California golden poppies! (though I still love the red ones in the Balkans)
• prices! things are soo expensive...
• too many choices of everything I didn't know I needed!
• pepper jack and cheddar!
• Chipotle Tabasco sauce (really, chipotle anything!)
• gas at $2.20 a gallon (intead of $8!!)
• big wide-open parking lots and many many places to park!
• defensive driving rather than offensive
• pedestrians have right-of-way
• being able to understand all conversations around me as I walk in a store, down the street, or sit in a restaurant
• wild turkey crossings

OK, that's enough for now. There are a lot more, but perhaps I'll save them for a later blog. :) As I am in California now my blog will take on a distinct California flavor (with a few other states thrown in for extra seasoning), though I'll still try to connect it to live in the Balkans in some manner. Either way, I hope you enjoy this change of pace (like I am).

Carolyn from California

Transitions, Cultural Stress & Being a Foreigner

In my last blog I ended with the musing, "Am I feeling more Macedonian or American today?" Frankly, it's an especially relevant question for me right now as I'm just a day away from getting on a plane heading to the US. I'm sitting here surrounded by packing, going over the last-day checklist of bookkeeping, backups, goodbyes, packing, cleaning..... and trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'll be in my hometown tomorrow night. Just about 36 hours from now.

Back in the day overseas travel meant spending a month on a ship, which gave a very clear buffer in leaving your old culture, language, family and friends behind and preparing to enter a new culture, learn a new language, make new friends and become part of a different sort of family.

Now that buffer is just 24 hours of lay-overs, security checks and general sleep deprivation at 30,000 feet!

Returning to your home culture encompasses a whole new level of culture-stress known as "re-entry." Living and working overseas for almost 7 years I've lost a bit of my "American-ness" and gained a healthy dose of "Macedonian-ness" and even "European-ness." It's a strange sensation, like having your world-view expanded and contracted at the same time.

I've been gone from the US long enough that there are many social-conscious/culture events that I won't be able to identify with as fully as if I'd lived in the US (example: the election). Likewise, living here in the Balkans I've experienced the social-conscious/culture events along with the Balkan people (example: Kosovo's independence), something that my American friends likewise won't be able to fully identify with. In a nutshell, we've all changed as we've interacted with the culture in which we live.

It's strange to realize that I will likely feel like a foreigner in my home country similar to my feelings of foreignness here... and I'm sure I'll have plenty of examples to share in the weeks to come! =) The one thing, though, that I have truly come to appreciate about this moving between cultures is the deeper understanding into what scripture means that this world is not our ultimate home. The citizenship that trumps all others is the one that is heavenly and eternal. So from day to day I may "feel" varying degrees of being "American" or "Macedonian," but one thing is sure, I'm always God's kid (to use a beloved term of Dr. Johnson). =)

See you on the other side of the pond!

"You Are Macedonian Like Me!"

Really?? Yes, just one week before returning to the US for a spell I find out I am (or can be) Macedonian! :::tongue only half-firmly planted in cheek::: OK, let me explain ;)

Here in Macedonia, a foreigner cannot have a bank account without a current valid visa (with the account being frozen once the visa expires). As I have a new visa expiration date, I went to the bank on Friday to give them my updated information.

Confusion ensued as I dutifully handed the clerk my foreigners "lichna carta."

The gal just couldn't understand my inquiry about needing to update my visa info even after referencing with her supervisor and showing them my ID. I found out later that this was not a language barrier issue, but of course I thought it was and so I asked to speak to someone in English. She deferred to her supervisor.

He too was not sure of my question as he said, "There is no problem with the account," in response to our questions about making sure the account does not get frozen due to not having my current visa info. He continued, "you are free to withdraw and deposit up to 10,000 Euros each month." That, of course, had me question further because up until that point I thought that foreigner accounts had a limit of 2,000 Euros. (Not that I necessarily work with those large of numbers. I was just noticing that there was a difference in the standard limit for foreigners).

When I questioned the amount the supervisor then involved the bank manager. Several minutes passed as the clerk went back and forth between computer checks, taking and returning my passport, ID and bank book and discussing things with the bank manager. In the end the manager came over to me and expressed the source of the confusion.

"You see," he began, "if you come to the bank with this," gesturing with my passport, "you are a foreigner." "But," he continued, "if you hand us this," holding up my lichna carta aka Macedonian ID, "you are Macedonian like me!"

Ha! Who knew!

In the end we settled that I am a foreigner and they updated the account with the appropriate info. It did get me thinking though. Hmm.... am I feeling more Macedonian or American today.....?

Forgiveness Day

Yesterday was Forgiveness Day here in Macedonia. It's the Sunday immediately before the beginning of Great Lent in the Orthodox church (the traditional fast from dairy and such until Easter). In preparation for the Lenten fast, the faithful are encouraged to seek forgiveness from those they have wronged as well as to forgive those who've wronged them. Church services will center on Jesus' teachings on forgiveness and fasting as found in Matt 6:14-18.

For a really good explanation of this day and the intent and meaning behind it, I highly recommend following this link to an article by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann. Here's an excerpt:

"Now, forgiveness stands at the very center of Christian faith and of Christian life because Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, Whom He sends to us, so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love. And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a return to it, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for the Lenten season."

This is also the time of Carnival celebrations and the best known in Macedonia are held in Strumica. Christopher Deliso, who is a travel writer and lives in Macedonia, wrote an interesting Lonely Planet article about those celebrations back in 2006, and again I highly recommend reading it for some insight into this cultural event and its origins. Here's an excerpt.

"The Strumica Carnival... [also] has pagan origins and, as can be attested to by some of the more titillating costumes, has not entirely lost its ancient associations with virility, fertility and ruddy bucolic health.

The five-day carnival coincides with the beginning of Orthodox Lent...It was originally associated with Trimeri, a three-day period of Christian fasting for engaged girls. Such piety has long gone out the window, but the tradition partially lives on: Costumed processions visit the homes of engaged women, where each must guess which ofthe masked men is hers..."

Now you may be wondering why I'm talking about Lent a week after everyone else started talking about it. Well, this is because Easter in Macedonia is celebrated according to the Julian calendar... that means that this year Orthodox Easter will be on April 19th, which is one week later than in "the West" on April 12th, which is according to the Gregorian calendar. Confused? Well, here's a link for those wanting to learn more about the Julian vs Gregorian calendar history.

The "Day of Forgiveness" as well as the many comments, posts and Facebook statuses regarding the season of Lent have got me doing some deeper ponderings of faith. If you're interested in these personal ponderings, I will be posting them soon to my new blog: TrstngHm. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed reading and learning some more about life and culture here in the Balkans. =)