To Be the Stranger

You probably see them in the grocery store or at your children’s school, those people who look foreign and act like they come from somewhere else.  

Do you know what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land? Let me tell you. If you were the foreigner, you would buy the wrong thing at that grocery store because you wouldn’t understand the difference between “self-rising,” “pastry,” “whole wheat,” and “all purpose” flour. You would also wander around the aisles for a long time, looking for things that are not there (cornmeal?  baking soda?) or things that are not where you expect them to be.  Sugar is not by the baking supplies. Instead, it is by the coffee. And why are those crackers by the breakfast foods and these others in the snack aisle?

You would take a bilingual dictionary with you when you went to the doctor. You and the doctor still have difficulty understanding each other, partly because the approach to treatment and the governmental regulations relating to it are not what you expect.

 You would be mystified by notices from the government. You would hope for a friendly neighbor to help interpret these things. You would ask your school-aged children to look over and correct your replies.

When your child’s teacher asked everyone to bring an old t-shirt to school, you would send the child with an old dress shirt. You didn’t understand the difference. You also didn’t understand all kinds of things the teacher and the other parents take for granted. What school supplies does your child need? How is math taught here? Why do they write the numbers like that? Numbers are confusing, anyway. You have trouble finding the right hymn in the hymnbook at church. You have trouble writing down phone numbers and addresses.

You also have trouble with time. What do people mean when they say, “Come by tomorrow afternoon”? Why are they surprised when you show up at 12:30 PM? Or 5:30 PM? And when it is obvious that you do not understand the language completely, why do people speak louder instead of simply slowing down?

You understand enough to take part in local Bible study. You can follow most of the discussion but do not get most of the jokes. When you confuse the word for “horse manure” with the one for “apartment,” everyone laughs. You do not appreciate the humor. You do appreciate people who are patient enough to let you practice speaking their language with them.

You wish those patient people would remember to include you on holidays. Some holidays that are special to you are not celebrated here. Others are celebrated in very different ways.  You are far from your own family and traditions. You feel even more sharply that you are a stranger in a strange land. I know first-hand. We are foreigners here. We bless everyone who makes us feel even a little more at home.