I've been going through a bit of an identity crisis since the team from California left. I was doing really well learning Afrikaans and "re-learning" English, replacing American English words with South African English equivalents. And THEN the team came.It was wonderful to see people from our home town. Truly that was an incredible gift! But suddenly I didn't know which words to use - should I say "robot" or "traffic light"? Should I say, "When should I pick you up?" or "When must I fetch you?" Do I serve chicken livers in peri peri sauce, or do I grill hamburgers? Help!
It is easy to be an American in America. It is not so easy, but still do-able, to learn how to be a South African. But when the two worlds collide, who am I? What am I? Am I an American? Am I now a South African? Am I a little bit of both?
I feel like a chocolate/vanilla swirl frozen yogurt, a hybrid car, or for you Napoleon Dynamite fans, a liger. And maybe that's not so bad, if I can harness the best of both cultures, learn to move with ease between them, and always keep myself on the learning end of things. Still, sometimes I feel like a freak and just long to fully belong somewhere.
"For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." - Hebrews 13:14
1 comment:
I have experienced this cultural identity crisis many times in my life, but most often during my years in England.
Over time, though, my national/cultural identity became less significant to me in terms of defining my identity--more along the lines of hair color or eye color, which are descriptives and not definitives.
What has best helped me to define my identity is knowing that I am a daughter of the heavenly King. When I can rest in His love, BEing His child, I become less attached to the rest.
In this day and age, we hear a lot about "global citizenship". All earthly kingdoms are His domain, so it matters not where my body is on this globe, for all nations are a temporary outpost--my citizenship is in heaven.
It doesn't matter whether I am eating "chips" or "crisps", or whether I drink some "joe" or just a "cuppa", for He provided all things edible for the sustenance of my body.
Blonde or brunette, tall or short, blue-eyed or hazel-eyed, left-handed or right-handed, Californian or Southern, American or English...they describe facets that were cut into the raw gemstone, but they don't define the atomic structure of the elements that compose the gem.
I am who I am--His child--and I can feel at home in all venues on this wonderful world I'm passing through.
That you can also live in this perfect peace and joy with utter abandon is my prayer.
I love you, sis!
Rosie
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