culture shock from another side

2 Corinthians 1:4 (NASB95)
4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

So, culture shock really isn’t fun at all. But here we are, seeing God use it. When Nathan and Tim came, we saw they had gone through it, but with out anyone to really wade through it with them or explain some of it. Now, lo and behold, we see 12 more people we (Brian) need to help adjust.
The 12 students who are here are going through a little culture shock. 8 of the 12 came from the capital city of 2 million people and have never lived in the bush. The other 4 come from village areas, but they have many more people (I guess the Chongwe area (don’t know how big that is) has a population of around 200,000). We are OUT IN THE BUSH. There are people around, but driving down the road, you don’t see too many homes. So this is a big change for all these students. We currently don’t have a radio or TV for them to use to stay connected to the world either (we don’t try to stay connected anymore! Ignorance is bliss sometimes! Say, does Minnesota have a senator yet???). And this is Africa-football (soccer) is a BIG DEAL. The Zambian team starts playing this month.
So, as we are closer to the “other side” of the culture shock, now we are able to help these guys deal with some of this. To be able to at least help them recognize it and push through it. They want to be here, they want to learn, but it is a big adjustment. Culture shock isn’t just for moving from one country to another. People in the States can go through it moving from one town to another in the same state! These guys are cooking their own meals, washing their own clothes…all those things Western college kids go through, just with less of what we would consider “modern conveniences”.
Since I have been sorting already, we are finding them a few board games, and there are more books to go through down in the Shop too. We’ll look to keep them busy, but also having fun. It’s can’t be all work and no play!
Today the 12 of them were out front in the nursery clearing ground. We only had the 6 hoes going and they cleared a huge section in two hours or so. Imagine how much they will do once they all get their garden equipment!