What I have been learning

This week has been a weird week where I haven't even really thought about what I have been learning- but aren't we supposed to learn something new everyday? I mean, this week has been pretty average. I have gone to work - against my wishes- everyday - and I have been on walks, been out with friends and had a good time. I am counting the days until school is out - and that means I am counting my days until I can go home - but I am beginning to get a little stressed about going home and all the culture shock that will result with the 1000 candy choices in the 7-11 and the radio stations, and eating out joints! I mean, richness brings so many choices and I have been out of the loop of these choices lately (haven't been to Dubai in over 7 weeks- so Al Ain has been the scope of my world) But I have learned some things - I was thinking about this on my romp last night - I have learned the benefit of sitting and talking with people - this culture values that much more than my own. I mean, here you see men just sitting on the side of the road - or like last night, sitting on the side of the fountain outside of the grocery store. They were just sitting and talking - no real reason, just to talk. I don't think that we do that enough at home - it seems we have to schedule coffee to catch up - but we don't just sit! I mean, we don't just hang out at the grocery store so we can run into people and be apart of their life! Also, at home we don't value touch like they do here- I mean, when we see good friends we might give them a hug - but here at every greeting you "kiss" both cheeks - sometime 5 times! But you pull the other person close to you and greet them. I mean - not the men and ladies together - but women to women and men to men. I think this is good - I mean, it brings people into the space that you normally reserve for yourself. That is important. It brings a closeness that we often leave out! And then there is the benefit of hanging out with just girls. I mean, here it seems to excessive and I wish it was a little more mellowed. But, we don't really value that at home - I mean we have "girl's night out" and such - but daily hanging out with just the girls - doesn't often happen. I think this is a something that we miss out on. I have spent the last 8 1/2/ months hanging out with just the girls. I mean, I might see the "boys" out and grab lunch with them - but the most I see them is once a week. That is very different from being at home! At first, I hated this - I wanted to be with the boys - but now I have realized how mush I enjoy hanging out with the girls. It has made me a different person. I am afraid what I am going to turn into when I return to "real life!" and boys are a part of my daily experience!
I have changed a lot the last 8 months - mostly in ways I can't express. I wish I could, because then I would feel as if I could just tell people back home, they would understand and then be able to accept me - but as it is , I feel as if my best attempts to explain what has happened would be like one of the kids in my class - who doesn't speak much English- trying to explain the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. I mean, it wouldn't even come close! I hope that I don't try to judge my culture, my "Christian culture" and I hope that I don't compare the bad things - I want, I mean I really want - to encourage and love and serve my community. I don't want to live as a me and my experiences verses them and theirs - I want to be a "one another" person!
So - I have truly rambled - with no real purpose except that I wanted to write all of these things down - that is another thing I have learned - I need to write down what I am thinking for me to really learn it. I have heard that "journaling" is a spiritual discipline - they need to add blogging to that list!