Finding an Excuse

It is easy to find many excuses of why not to take steps out in culture. We are not naturally socially bold and outgoing people, so when it is important to visit people on a daily basis, we can easily find many excuses to stay home. It is starting to get dark... People are leaving...  I haven't made dinner...  I don't know what to say... It is the heat of the day...  There is always tomorrow...  But people here find excuses to go visit, one of the most important parts of a friendship, as one of their proverbs says,"Friendship is with the feet."

At this point it still feels very awkward to visit, go through our 5-10 greetings and leave. It was even more awkward after the death of our guard to greet the family living closest to us. It is so hard to know what to say in English, yet alone in a language we are still learning. Visiting the guard's wife a couple times a day and each time saying, “have patience” is very difficult. I don't feel like I am in a place to tell her to have patience; I have not experienced the pain she has experienced.

But if we don't wave the excuses aside, we will miss the boat and demonstrate to people we care. We will miss out on many fun experiences, many friendships, and our chance to integrate into this culture.