We are so blessed to live in a diverse community. I am constantly learning about different cultural norms and values from my interactions with people here. I love this about Compton- there is so much culture and history in this city. But one of the struggles of diversity is the language barrier. When we first moved in we realized that all of the families in our complex are Spanish speakers except for one- and in that one English speaking family both the parents are deaf. Needless to say, Chris and I have been challenged to stretch our communication comfort levels to new territories. Sometimes this looks like communicating with our hands as best we can to a deaf mom, sometimes it looks like utilizing my not-so-great Spanish skills to attempt to show my neighbor that I truly am interested in their life- even if I sound ridiculous. And what I have learned is that no matter how much I botch a sentence or say the wrong word, my neighbors are thrilled when I try (and they usually say I'm not as bad as I think) and they show me grace as I stumble through. We become equals as we both try to understand and communicate with one another. I've learned that sometimes showing love looks like looking stupid, but it's all for a greater cause: the reconciliation of people across lines of race, socio-economic status, and language.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Diversity
We are so blessed to live in a diverse community. I am constantly learning about different cultural norms and values from my interactions with people here. I love this about Compton- there is so much culture and history in this city. But one of the struggles of diversity is the language barrier. When we first moved in we realized that all of the families in our complex are Spanish speakers except for one- and in that one English speaking family both the parents are deaf. Needless to say, Chris and I have been challenged to stretch our communication comfort levels to new territories. Sometimes this looks like communicating with our hands as best we can to a deaf mom, sometimes it looks like utilizing my not-so-great Spanish skills to attempt to show my neighbor that I truly am interested in their life- even if I sound ridiculous. And what I have learned is that no matter how much I botch a sentence or say the wrong word, my neighbors are thrilled when I try (and they usually say I'm not as bad as I think) and they show me grace as I stumble through. We become equals as we both try to understand and communicate with one another. I've learned that sometimes showing love looks like looking stupid, but it's all for a greater cause: the reconciliation of people across lines of race, socio-economic status, and language.
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