Preparations & Training

PREPARATIONS

So much has already been done. Multiple meetings, discussions, etc. are already behind us but there is still more. It is really starting to get real! With an expected departure date, there is so much to be done!

It is time to let go of my daily job in order to focus on preparations. Since I work in many different families, this means saying good-bye already. This gives new meaning to the word bittersweet. Saying good-bye is not fun, particularly when both adults and children have a place in your heart. On the other hand, this is something I have been looking forward to for a very long time so the fact that it is becoming real is very exciting.

Arrangements have been made for language lessons. Soon it will be time to travel to Colorado, USA for 4 weeks of training! This includes culture training (how to live in a culture different from your own), knowing challenges that can arise from living inter-culturally and how to deal with them, plus it also includes language acquisition training (learning how to learn a new language).

Eventually this also means having the chance to meet with potential supporters through presentations and other fundraisers! While the chance to meet people and chat about Malawi is always something, the presentations seem a bit daunting. On the other hand, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to do so.

All in all, I am looking forward to having you journey along with me.

TRAINING

This is really starting to get real! After a lot of meetings, discussions, decisions, I’ve let go of my daily job and begun a 4 week training program in Colorado. This includes culture training (how to live in a culture different from your own), knowing challenges that can arise from living inter-culturally and how to deal with them, plus it also includes language acquisition training (learning how to learn a new language).

After a whirlwind of flight changes and decision making, I made it to Colorado for mission training! It was a crazy process and I ended up driving to Grand Rapids where a generous family allowed me to stay over at their house last minute. They even dropped me off at the airport early Monday morning so I could catch a flight to Denver, Colorado! If you have never been to the Denver airport, let me tell you that it is HUGE. I had to take a train to baggage claim!!

This mission training includes learning how to work and live cross culturally and also language acquisition. The first week dealt a lot with language acquisition. This is a fancy title for learning ‘how to learn a new language’. This includes shaping our mouth to make unfamiliar sounds, analyzing how we produce even regular English sounds and also includes how to change our perspective and learn how to approach learning a new language.

Some days are very intense, but all in all, it has been useful and fascinating!

I have met people from all over North America and it is such a different experience to be in a building full of people who are all in the same sort of transition period as I am.

We’ve spent a whole day learning about our conflict resolution style and how we handle conflict. It was very eye-opening and sometimes painful to face where you go wrong and what you can improve on.

Over the next two weeks we will be focusing even more on important make-or-break issues that can impact someone exiting what is familiar and entering a new culture. It will be interesting, not always easy, but definitely useful!