Reconstruction

It was hard, the initial 3-week stay with my new family. Yet, very good. I can already see how living with my new family in Niakara for the next 8 months will catalyst change in me. Reconstruction, of worldview and categories of thought, will most certainly take place. But the deconstruction and demolition that’s beginning hurts a bit more than I expected.

I’m not quite sure where to start. There’s a lot I’d like to share with you about what life in an Ivorian home is like, but I wonder how to even begin?

Maybe I’ll start by saying that, while life here takes on a different form than the life I’ve known, people here are like people everywhere else. In other words, we’re not all that different from one another. We all have basic, God-given needs. We all desire love. We all need purpose. We all have sorrow and pain and grief. We get frustrated. We all face disappointment. We have happy moments, sad moments, and everything in between.  We all love relationships. We all were designed to work. We all love to express ourselves. We all are sinners who need to be reconciled with our Creator.

But, the relationships, the work, the expression – it takes on a different form here. And, this difference causes a gap between what I know as “normal” and what is known here as “normal”. This gap brought stress – culture shock – that ushered in a million different emotions the past three weeks.

Some of the stressors:

Language – After 3 months of French classes, I was so excited to finally be immersed in a family where I’d be able to use my new understanding and build onto it. I was a bit disappointed to find out that my family doesn’t really speak French at home. They all speak Senafo, their mother-tongue. The family will speak French with me, but 95% of their conversations with each other or with friends and neighbors happen in a language I don’t understand. Needless to say, merely communicating basic things can be quite draining.

Food – Yes, the food is an adjustment for me. Most every meal consists of rice and sauce. As one who loves fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, eating primarily starches and oils isn’t easy for me. But, I’m learning to enjoy the new foods. I also can buy things and bring them home to share with the whole family. So, once in awhile I’ll buy a papaya or bananas from people on the side of the road to eat with everyone. A bundle of ten bananas cost less than 25 cents. One of my other favorite snacks that makes me happy is fresh peanut butter. Completely natural and grainy, just the way I love it.

Small spaces – Having 5 sisters between 17 and 22 is a joyful thing, but also something to adjust to! I share a small, dimly lit room with these girls and the quarters are tight. I’m not able to really “settle in” because there’s not space for it. But I’ve managed to organize my little suitcase just right so that I can access what I need without disarranging everything else. My “bed” gets taken up every day off the floor to sweep, so even that isn’t “my own” space. But while this is challenging, it’s also very refining! I’m learning that simple living is key. I’m able to go a month with about 5 different shirts, 4 different pagnes (which are like wrap skirts), and 2 pairs of underwear. I’m also learning to love bucket baths, squatty-potties (hole in the ground = toilet), and eating from the same bowl as everyone else. But yes, getting used to all of these changes will take some time.

Everyday I look for things to be thankful for. Here are a few of them:

Lina, Jessica, Steve – Three other Journeyers. Steve and Jessica Willman (who I knew from Northwestern College too!) are a fun young couple who have lived in Cote d’Ivoire for a year and just wrapped up their last days in Niakara. They lived with the pastor and his family there. I was so thankful to overlap with them for my first few weeks in Niakara. They both became a source of wisdom and encouragement since they went through the exact same things. Lina is one of my German teammates, and the only other one who was placed to live in Niakara. And though we live in different families, we are able to see each other at least couple of days. She’s been such an encouragement to me as well. We’ve been able to take walks together in the bush to talk about all of our new experiences and pray for one another.

Church Community – The Niakara believers are family. They love and care for each other in so many ways. The youth of the church have already embraced Lina and I into their lives, just as they did with Steve and Jessica. The pastor and his family are very understanding and caring for us, too.

New Name – My family has given me a Senafo name: Katchinnin. It can be translated to mean “gift” or “good thing.”

Goats, Chickens, Sheep – Yes, it’s bizarre, but these animals are hilarious. They’re everywhere throughout our yard, and sometimes they manage to sneak their way inside the house to steal food. There are probably 20 little chicks that run around the yard, following their mother hens. Often when I’m washing dishes outside I have chicks running across my feet or slipping into dirty bowls as they hunt for every little leftover grain of rice they can find. There’s a goat that’s about to give birth to adorable baby goats.

Girl’s Bible Study – While Jessica was living in Niakara, she began a girl’s Bible study with the teenage girls in the church. Lord-willing, Lina and I are going to continue on with it. Jess gave Lina and I the opportunity to co-lead the study a couple of weeks ago. Lina shared a message on James 5 and we spent some time singing and praying together. The theme of the message was having patience in the midst of suffering and waiting, something that spoke to my heart. What I love about leading a Bible study with these girls is that we’re not just teaching them once a week. We’re living, working, singing, serving, and doing life with these girls. It’s not “us” and “them” … but “we”.

Beaded Bracelets – In addition to studying the Word for the Girls Bible Study, we are going to make bracelets with the girls and try to start a little business selling them in the market. This may provide the girls with an outlet to make money for the youth group. There are certain things like the annual youth conference for the Baptist Churches of Cote d’Ivoire that the youth have to pay for out of pocket. We’re hoping that selling these bracelets will make paying for the conference and other things like that easier for everyone.

Sisters – Like I’ve mentioned, I have five sisters at home. Their names are Affou (22), Suzanne (21), Kinafo (19), Rachael (18), and Assetou (17). I can already tell that it’s going to be amazing living life with these girls. So far, I’ve worked alongside of them, learning to prepare food over a fire with big pots, wash laundry by hand, pull up water from the well, wash dishes, and go shopping in the market. The market still overwhelms me like crazy. Four out of the five of the girls go to school, and the other works at a hair salon. Braiding hair is a big part of the culture here. My sisters who go to school said that I could join their gym class, to get to know their classmates and have an outlet to exercise. I’ve also been able to help my sisters with their English homework. But more important than doing things together is simply being together. There are so many times the family just sits together and talks. Even when they are all talking in Senafo and I don’t understand a thing, they value me being there.

Two of my little brothers: Samuel and Alfonce

Hanging out with the girls at the salon. The one on the far left is my sister Assetou.

Some of the girls from church on Christmas day after our all-night party of dancing and eating!

Doing hair. The one in the back who is actually braiding hair is my sister Affou.