Reflections

It is hard to believe that I have been living in Vietnam for nearly 5 months! In fact, this Friday will mark my 5 month anniversary here exactly. It seems like I have been here for a lot longer than 5 months and yet, at the same time, it feels like my adventures only just began yesterday.

In reflecting on my time here, below is a summary of the key lessons I have learned on my journey so far, in no certain order:

1) Relationships, Relationships, Relationships - Building strong rapport and developing relationships with others is essential in any working environment, no matter what the context. Working in another country has reaffirmed for me yet again how important this concept is -- it has been challenging working in an environment that is far different from what I am accustomed to, but by focusing on building relationships with people first, I have gained the respect and trust of my colleagues which has slowly paved the way for action and change to take place. This is so important regardless of the cultural context, and yet, too often in the West, we focus first on efficiency and second on relationships. Many times, in order to be effective and efficient, we need to think first about building solid relationships.

2) Things are just things - Living here has taught me to focus less on the physical things of this world that will come and go and depreciate over time and to focus more time and energy on the people in my life and my relationship with God.

3) Change is a process - Change doesn't happen over night -- it requires planting many, many seeds and taking many, many small steps and actions in order to make incremental alterations that are also sustainable. I guess this is something that I've understood in theory, but working in a new cultural context has put this concept into a whole new perspective for me!

4) Chopsticks can be very useful and fun - When I first started using chopsticks I was so clumsy -- providing a constant source of entertainment for my Vietnamese friends here. However, I have actually gotten the hang of using these eating utensils and think I will miss eating with them a lot when I return home.

5) Riding a bike is a great way to get around - I really, really enjoy my bike, which is funny because when I first arrived I thought those around me were crazy for choosing to ride around on an open bike in the frantic traffic here. However, after much practice and experience on my bike, I really enjoy the freeing feeling I get aboard my bike with the wind whipping across my face as I ride around the beautiful city of Hue. And, the traffic patterns make much more sense and don't seem so frantic. Of course, this would definitely be a different story if I lived in a much more crowded Vietnamese city like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh!

6) I really can cope without - As I have grown up and lived in the West for the majority of my life, I have become accustomed to modern standards of living --- air conditioning, constant source of power, hot water, etc, etc. Yet, living here without the guarantee that I will have hot water, power and/or air conditioning on a given day, has helped me to realize that I really can handle living without these things. They are nice amenities to have, but they are not essential and God will certainly provide me with the endurance and stamina to face whatever He brings my way.

7) The power of patience and positive thinking - Living in a very foreign context, there are many things that happen here on a weekly and very often daily basis that are outside my control and not at all what I had planned for. While I cannot control many of these circumstances, I can control my attitude and whether or not I choose to exert patience. I have learned that patience and a positive attitude will go a LONG way in helping me to overcome whatever situation I am faced with.

8) The Vietnamese language can be very challenging - Unfortunately, after 5 months I have not made as much progress in this area as I would have liked. This is due in part to the fact that my Vietnamese friends many times laugh and say I sound "cute" when I try to practice -- not overly encouraging to someone learning a new language:) -- as well as to the fact that I have a translator at work in which case I don't often practice with my colleagues. However, I feel strongly that it is very important to try and learn the language of the culture you are living in -- so, I am still taking weekly Vietnamese classes and hopefully I will have improved to at least a very basic conversational level by the time I leave here.

9) God is in control - Above all the things I have learned here, living and working aboard has reaffirmed for me that God is in control: of both the present and the future. I will continually strive to seek His face for guidance as to my life in Vietnam during the remainder of my time here as well as to what plans he has for me in the future.