Culture Shocking in Canada Has Begun

It's been just over 2 weeks that I have been back in Canada. I must admit, that there were a few things that I wasn't used to when I got back here. 1) The traffic and abundance of pavement 2) The weather. I found it pretty easy to get "back into the groove" of things back in Ponoka when I visited my parents. It kind of took me off guard as I was expecting to go through a bit more shock when coming back to Canada. I just assumed I was a lucky case of you know that 1 in 1 million people who don't experience culture shock upon their re-entry into a first world country. My assumption has proven to be wrong. I just recently arrived back into Toronto where I will complete my last year of my M.Div program. I arrived after spending 9 days in my home town with parents maxing and relaxing and taking it super easy. And after spending 6 days in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania helping with preparations and attending a friends wedding, which was way less stressful then I thought it was going to be - she's super organized. By this point I was convinced I wasn't going to experience culture shock. Boy was I wrong. Since arriving back at Wycliffe I have had to move all of my stuff into my dorm room in a bit of a hurry so that I can finish off last minute details for the upcoming Orientation Week and Retreat that I am in charge of as Senior Student. It was today, in the midst of my running around trying to get things done that I officially started culture shocking. This morning I had 3 things that I needed to get done in the span of about 20 minutes, so I was a bit stressed and moving significantly faster than I had been all summer. My mentality was to get things done and quickly as possible. I accomplished what I needed to and then went back up to my dorm room. This finish the jobs quickly mentality caught up with me quickly as I sat down at my desk and couldn't stop shaking from the hustle and bustle that I had just experienced. My body has gotten used to the laid back lifestyle of Belize, and the attitude that no one is in a hurry to get things done, and don't worry everything will get done. Which is the attitude that I began to embrace during my time in Belize. (I hope that doesn't make them sound lazy....cause they're not!) Anyway, I'm sitting in my room, my body shaking and working on adreneline as I try to relax myself and stop stressing out about the upcoming week and the stuff I need to get done. I forced myself to take an hour to do nothing and just sit and relax, I grabbed a piece of olive wood carved like a cross that I bought in Bethlehem last year and rubbed it and prayed for a while. I must admit, I don't want my attitude to change....I don't want to be in a hurry, but that's life here, and I don't want to let go of some of the cultural differences that I embraced during my 3 months abroad. This experience has made me realize that I'm going to transition back into the culture whether I want to or not. But it's also got me wondering how I can continue to maintain this laid back mentality and incorporate it into different aspects of my life. My prayer life for example and not being in a hurry to get it over with, but taking the time that I feel I need at that moment to be still in the presence of God and not be worried about the endless list of things I have to do. Being able to spend time with friends without worrying about the endless list of things I have to do, but enjoy the company and blessing of their friendships and so on and so forth. This is something I really want to incorporate into my life, and over the next couple of months I will be discerning how to do that, without falling behind in my academic life etc. I'll keep you posted!

I've also had a few conversations with friends in Toronto. And they have included them asking questions about what is one food that you haven't eaten all summer and would love to have? I have to admit when asked the question I can't think of anything. It's not until I eat or drink something that I have tasted all summer that I am reminded of how much I missed it. Example: I headed out for lunch with a friend and ordered myself and Root Beer. The first gulp of that soda pop I don't think I will ever forget. It was so satisfying, and I hadn't realized how much I missed it until I had it. Slurpees, licorice and trail mixes are a few other things that I have thourougly enjoyed eating. I know in the next few weeks there will be more and I will definitely be keeping a record.

So there you have it, I'm not the lucky 1 out of 1 million that does not experience culture shock. I just realized that my lifestyle in the last couple of weeks hasn't been overly different from what it was in Belize....the only difference was that I was in Canada and not Belize. My pace stayed the same, and it has changed drastically in the last couple of days, and has thrown me off!!