When we have been in Africa, we notice that some methods of doing and living are frustrating because they are so different from our experiences in America. Living life in France has given us more information to discern what are the origin of differences in culture, habits, education, daily life, etc.. and hopefully this knowledge will decrease the amount of frustration we may feel in Congo. Here are some examples:
- Teaching by rote memorization or copying what the teacher writes on the board is a frustrating way to learn, and it does not foster creativity or critical thinking. This style of teaching was IMPORTED from western society. We experience it here in France.
- Stopping to fix something on your car in the middle of the road without regard to the line of traffic you are holding up is common in Congo. But, it might not just be because cars are a relatively new thing to Congo or that people spend so much effort living day to day that they don't plan ahead. Here in France, we have had to stop and wait while a person puts chains on their vehicle... in the middle of the road. And then people haphazardly try to go around, just like in Congo. Perhaps that is just human nature. Perhaps that practice was IMPORTED along with the cars.
- Viewing life in a pessimistic manner is very common here in France. It is not, perhaps, so different as the fatalism we face in Congo. The danger in pessimism is that one does not try to create a different outcome or new way of doing something. The danger in our own culture of optimism and creativity is that we may feel overconfident, proud, entitled to a good outcome, etc... It is always a balance.
- Family life without concrete jobs is simply different than our family life in the US when Ryan worked in the lab daily and I was in residency. We have learned a lot about each other and what makes us less stressed, how we can help each other, etc.
- We have also learned how to live in a different time zone and without family around. Although we have continuous access to good internet now, we and our families have had some time to develop habits of communication which will hopefully be very helpful later when we may not have such easy internet access.
- Living life as a minority and around a totally foreign language has taken adjustment. We are very glad to have experienced it here in France were a lot of things are easier than they will be in Congo and where we will be stared at for our difference in skin color and regarded differently as it pertains to economic status.
These are just a few of the examples that I've noticed of potential frustrations with cultural adjustment that, had we moved straight to Congo, I may have blamed on the African way or the Congolese way of doing things. It is good to step back and see what comes directly from our western mindset here in Europe.
