It was fifteen years ago when I took my first flight. The trip was Albuquerque (New Mexico) to Denver to Frankfurt, Germany to Bucharest, Romania. On Wednesday, Mark and I are going back to Romania to visit his sister, and I feel like I should do some reflection.
That first flight was memorable, someone in the group telling me in a nervous voice, "The plane's not supposed to make that sound!" Now I'm one of those people who ignores the safety video, despite the plea to pay attention "even if you're a seasoned passenger". (But I really appreciate those airlines that make the videos interesting! like animations with animals instead of people...)
I also have a very different perspective on Westerners going to developing countries, the gap between what they think they're accomplishing and local people would ask for if they were given a voice. (Check out When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.) I think I might be on the brink of a new, similar realization regarding sending Westerners who don't speak a language (and likely won't stay in the country long) for years of language study instead of taking locals who know the language and training them. Don't get me wrong, cross-cultural interaction is important. "Cross-pollination" of ideas makes everyone stronger. Just saying that how I think about mission work continues to evolve.
So I'm a different person. But I was out exploring, adventuring, playing frisbee before I met Mark. Sometimes it's good to remind myself of that, especially when I want to stick with the familiar and Mark wants to do more exploring. (Alps, we're heading your way after Romania!)
That first flight was memorable, someone in the group telling me in a nervous voice, "The plane's not supposed to make that sound!" Now I'm one of those people who ignores the safety video, despite the plea to pay attention "even if you're a seasoned passenger". (But I really appreciate those airlines that make the videos interesting! like animations with animals instead of people...)
I also have a very different perspective on Westerners going to developing countries, the gap between what they think they're accomplishing and local people would ask for if they were given a voice. (Check out When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.) I think I might be on the brink of a new, similar realization regarding sending Westerners who don't speak a language (and likely won't stay in the country long) for years of language study instead of taking locals who know the language and training them. Don't get me wrong, cross-cultural interaction is important. "Cross-pollination" of ideas makes everyone stronger. Just saying that how I think about mission work continues to evolve.
So I'm a different person. But I was out exploring, adventuring, playing frisbee before I met Mark. Sometimes it's good to remind myself of that, especially when I want to stick with the familiar and Mark wants to do more exploring. (Alps, we're heading your way after Romania!)
Whoa, I didn't know y'all were going to the Alps, that's awesome! Can't wait to hear about it and see pics!
ReplyDelete