Culture Shock

Since we moved to Croatia, many people have asked me what I miss most about the States. My response is #1: Family and friends, and #2: Baseball.  Of course the former makes a lot of sense. The latter, on the other hand, in a culture where baseball is just in the movies, takes most off guard.  Regardless, my most recent trips to the States represent these two reasons. Last year I went to western New York to celebrate my grandparents’ 70 years of marriage . This year, in fact, right now , I am arriving in Boston to enjoy the Cubs' first trip to the World Series in 71 years. That may sound like a trivial reason to cross the Atlantic, but this is where I come back to reason #1. Having gained a love for the Cubs from my father and having shared it with my brother, it will be a joy to watch several games with them. I'll also be able to visit close friends in Chicago, whom I haven’t seen in three years, and whose children I’ve never met. I will be able to have my cake a...

Enoh has been "doing school" with his Mommy lately. In the Croatian activity book we have for him, there are several pages that encourage the young student to place stickers in their appropriate environments.   Petra has shown Enoh where some of the stickers could be placed strategically in order to make the picture look complete, but she found that he had the habit of putting all the stickers on one section of the page.   When she asked him why he didn't spread them out he said... ..."because mommy - they're friends!"

Several people have asked me recently how the Wilsons are doing.  We had the great pleasure of having them visit us in Croatia a few weeks ago.  Can you imagine taking two young daughters on a plane to Europe for a two week vacation?  They did it.  And they were a huge encouragement to us while they were here. Erin posted this  on TheWilsonHeart.com today.  I encourage you to read it.  The post/prayer crossbridge family wrote on their behalf is incredibly moving.

We're always so quick to point out the differences aren't we?  America is big, Croatia small.  Europe is old, America new.  The list could go on and on. But when my friend Laci and his family came to visit the other day he pointed out one of the similarities between the two cultures: Laci is Hungarian and I am American.  But the process of preparing the grill, cooking the meat, and enjoying a conversation while doing so is not so foreign to either of us - even in a country neither one of us grew up in - Croatia.  In fact, the table often seems to be a symbol of unity, a place where relationships grow.  Go back to Jesus and Zacchaeus.  The fact that Jesus wanted to have lunch in the tax collector's house was unheard of.  But it was there, at Zacchaeus's table, where repentance took place and a life was changed. ___________________________________________ I lost the importance of a shared meal during college.  But since we've moved t...

Though there are exceptions, this weblog focuses on three main things: culture, family/friends and faith.  Let me recommend three related blogs well worth your time. Culture: The Expat Blog  is a "living abroad website, by expats, for expats".  If you're living in a foreign country or planning on living in a foreign country this site offers plenty of information you'll be interested in. Faith: The Faith and Theology blog continues to be one of my favorite sites to visit. Benjamin Myers, an Australian scholar regularly updates this "forum for conversations about theology, books and culture". Family/Friends: The Wilson Heart  chronicles the story of a wonderful family currently dealing "with the implications of having a child with a serious heart defect".  Join the growing community of friends who support the Wilsons in a variety of ways.

I came across this post on my friend Milo's blog the other day. Whether you're Croatian or American, good leadership can be refreshingly shocking. Milo's observations are valuable to anyone serving as a leader in any capacity: I have spent the last 5 months in the Intensive care unit with my little boy Josiah Nathaniel. During this time, I have witnessed some things that can learned about leadership, and a working environment that may be helpful to your organization. 1. Everyone understands the chain of command, and the appropriate relationships within that chain. 2. The collective opinion of the leadership group is of great worth and value to those who answer to them. 3. Disagreements of opinions by those in leadership are resolved behind closed doors, then presented as a unified decision. 4. The opinion of those involved in the day to day work/care (i.e.. parents and bedside nurses) is regularly evaluated and listened to. 5. Every doctor and nurse has a training time when...

In Romans Paul tells us to "rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep". Lately the Wilsons and Josiah have been riding a roller coaster through major improvements and discouraging setbacks. While it's impossible to join them, we do have the privilege of bringing them before the Lord. Please remember to pray and stay updated on Josiah's progress!

For some reason culture shock has hit me harder the longer I experience it. Not that it gets any more difficult, but for some reason the differences between Croatia and America seem even more pronounced now than they used to. So with my latest trip to America a few days behind me, here are some things (related and unrelated to culture shock) that I noticed. In no particular order: 1. How much I love my wife and son. Does distance make the heart grow fonder? In our case yes! 2. How much I will miss my parents and newly-married brother. Spending time with them was more valuable than I imagined - especially now that we probably won't be back for another year-and-a-half. 3. How big Americans are. One article I read said that 26% of Americans are obese...that's more than Croatia. 4. How convenient many things are in America. Need directions? Mapquest . Want a book? Amazon.com has a wide selection and delivers quickly. Coffee and WIFI? Dunkin Donuts , Brueggers , the local coffee sh...

"Reserved optimism" is how Milo and Erin Wilson have described their feelings five days after giving birth to a son with a difficult heart condition. Earlier, Erin expressed that it felt like a roller coaster. Nontheless we rejoice with the Wilsons in the birth of Josiah and continue to pray with them as he has several serious surgeries ahead of him. Stay up to date on http://thewilsonheart.blogspot.com/ .

My high-school English teacher used to joke: "Jeremy, you know...you're a good guy. I don't care what they say about you in the teacher's lounge." Here in Croatia Hungarians don't always have the best reputation. Sure, they never started a war against Croatia, but their language is so...weird. They say the only place outside of Hungary with a language anything like Hungarian is in western Siberia. But I have to say, the Hungarians I've met aren't so bad - despite the fact that Croatians look at them so strangely. Our friend Laci , whom I've mentioned before on the Culture Shock weblog, has been serving in Vukovar, Croatia for 4 years or so. Now, God has called him to Budapest - a city with a population larger than the country of Slovenia . He'll be pastoring a new-start church on the outskirts of town. Petra and I are sad to see he, his wife and his daughters leave. They've been wonderful friends to us in the time we've spent with the...

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Sometimes we get carried away by things that aren't important. Such was the case in my last post. And even though I found the magazine I was looking for (but do not recommend it) and tried to capture a small difference between cultures, it was a waste of space and time compared to the things that really matter. Our dear friends Milo and Erin Wilson are going through an extremely difficult situation. They have published the latest news of the condition of their yet unborn child on their own blogs . Thankfully we believe in a God of miracles - a God who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. If you are so inclined, I'm sure they would be grateful to know that there are people in other corners of the world surrounding them in prayer.

I'm becoming increasingly sure that the wealth of choice in America is greatest wealth we have. Goran, a Macedonian friend of mine (who is studying in Boston) and I have hung out a few times during our stay in the States. On our way to Uno's Pizzeria the other night, I told him that the Buffalo wings were the best thing on the menu, but he was free to try whatever he wanted. We sat down and he ordered the same thing I got without considering any other options. I didn't think much about it until we decided to get dessert. I offered him whatever he wanted on the menu. Said menu had 6 items. He studied each item as if it were a new theology being introduced at the seminary he attends. Finally after 10 minutes (I'm not exaggerating) he was ready. Another time we were at the grocery store. I had a few items to purchase and asked him if he needed anything. Goran had a sore throat so he decided to try one of the things I recommend: Sprite, 7up, seltzer water and regular water....

In my attempt to learn Croatian I've decided I need to start incorporating the foreign language into my blog. We'll start slowly. A “kum” (sounds like “Coom”) is the Croatian equivalent of a best man. “Kumovi” is the plural version. In Croatia there is a greater significance in the relationship between kumovi than there is here in America. It’s sort of an unwritten rule that your kum will be committed to supporting your family and marriage long after the reception is over. We had the privilege of having Milo and his family visit us in Massachusetts for 5 days. It’s been 8 years since I acted as his best man, but our relationship has remained a close friendship since then – even despite my poor best-man-skills at his wedding. We met almost 10 years ago as Marine bandsmen. We competed. We played. We began our own families. And our families have been able to stay close despite the physical distance.

The guy knows English better than I do! When you move to another country (as I have) and you lose the ability to communicate effectively (as I have) you appreciate good people who can translate for you and even help you learn the language. Hazim has been that x10 for me. Hazim has become a good friend, is my translator when I give a message in church and has helped me learn Croatian. Although not Croatian himself, he grew up in former Yugoslavia, spent some time in the States and has studied theology. Among other things his background has given him a profound knowledge of both English and Croatian making him one of the best translators you can find. And believe me, good translators ARE hard to find. Even more meaningful for me has been his friendship - another thing foreigners often have a hard time finding. We enjoy discussing, debating and developing ideas over coffee or a drive to Zagreb every once in a while. In fact, he is one of the reasons I've been able to make...