This will be a short post. Preparing for our trip to the States and ministry in Japan prior to leaving is keeping me quite busy.
My family and I are about to return to the U.S. for the first time in two years. And though it will only be a three-week stay, I think that it will be quite a bit of culture shock for us.
The picture above is my breakfast. doesn’t it look delicious? This is a wonderful way to start the day! A bowl of miso soup, a piece of fish, cooked vegetables, and a cup of tea. Now, I don’t have to eat a Japanese style breakfast everyday just because I live in Japan. The rest of my family doesn’t. But, I love it! Not to mention I am allergic to egg whites. So, I can’t eat a typical American breakfast anyway.
All of this to illustrate that many things that we would have thought wierd or strange two years ago, are the norm for us now. Experienced world travellers will tell you that the real culture shock takes place not when you arrive in the foreign culture, but when you return. This happens because many of the things that you once took for granted are precious, what you used to think was culturally normal you now see through the lens of another culture.
Although I am not completely unprepared for this shock, I am not that sure what to expect. Maybe this short trip will lessen the shock of when we come back for our scheduled year of itineration.
Please pray. Although we have already purchased tickets and are definitely going, please pray that the needed funds for this trip will come in.
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