The ebbs and flows of culture shock

Whenever I've heard culture shock described, or at least how I always thought of it in my mind prior to this trip, it's always when you arrive somewhere, you are faced with this culture shock. As you go along a few weeks, you adjust and adapt and the shock is no more. I feel as though it's been a bit different here though.

Holly, a girl here from England, and I were discussing this over smoothies (seriously, Cape Town knows how to do smoothies; they are so tasty!). We discovered we were both feeling the same thing, where there are a lot of things that are similiar to home, or that we can easily relate it to back home.."ooh ok, this (insert item) is like this thing back home!" I think it's a way to familiarize or make you feel like you're in a little bit more control. That will be the case for a few days or longer, then you will see something or hear something that stuns you as you realize this is NOTHING like home. You can go to City Centre (what they call downtown) or to a mall or to a touristy beach and think you are in England or America. Then later that day you can talk to a person in a shop and hear their atrocious story, and feel completely overwhelmed.

This past Friday, I was talking to man waiting to be seen at the health clinic. As I asked him questions and got to know him, I couldn't believe his situation: He was from Congo, got married last January and had a degree in Chemistry. That March he lost his job; his wife was then pregnant. Seven months in, she lost the baby, and immediately wanted to become pregnant again, even though he had not found work. In November, he left hoping to find a job in Cape Town, but couldn't find anything due to his foreign status. He wanted to go home to his wife but had no way to get home. Just 30, his eyes were failing him..I could see black lines in his eyes, and he said he had to wear sunglasses outside constantly or his eyes would cry. During his consultation, a screw came out of his sunglasses. He kept trying to fit the tiny screw back in; he HAD to have sunglasses. If I had mine with me I would've given him mine; I so wanted to do something as simple as giving him sunglasses. As I prayed with him for a job or money to go home,for comfort as he misses his wife, for healings for his eyes, it almost was too much. I had to excuse myself right afterwards and go try to get myself under control. The afternoon before I had gone to the city center to ask questions for a video Jubilee shows before the message. High rise buildings and businessman and women hustling around, not too much different than St. Louis. This man's story? NOTHING like St. Louis.

It truly here is so different here, and just when I'm about to think I'm getting the hang out life here, something comes and completely knocks me off guard. Holly and I both agreed that this is how it would be for us our whole time here; not a massive shock when we first arrived, but waves that come and go during our time. It's been a struggle for me to put into words for everyone back home, because nothing I can really say can convey it. I find myself sitting down to a blank page and don't even know where to start, so hopefully this will do.