Learning and Doing

On Monday I was excited to experience a bit of a different side of Athens. We transitioned from tourist mode into more of a volunteer position for most of our activities that day. This enabled us to experience Athens on a more personal and real level. 

We began by going to the local evangelical church, just a couple blocks away, to help with their free food program. They provide meals for people who don't have the means to provide for themselves. It was nice to meet some people up close and personal, but it also revealed just how American I am. Most of the people receiving food knew at least two languages, and many were fluent in three or four. I only know English and a word or two of a few other languages. 

My inability to communicate made me think more about the American culture and about our approach to missions. What does it say about our culture that we (Americans) expect everyone who comes to our country to know our language? And what does it say about us that we are not willing to learn another language when going and experiencing other cultures? There are many reasons for this that go back to history (such as British colonization/"white man's burden" mentality) and also reflect how unaware Americans are (generally) of anything outside of the States. In addition, it seems to show a lack of caring when we don't try to learn the language of those we are trying to help. How are we supposed to minister to others when we can only fully communicate with those who know our language? It is still possible to help people despite the language barrier though. All of the recipients of the food were very gracious and friendly and welcoming, and I think that everyone had a good time together. 

I have never tried very hard to learn the language of countries I've visited, but it may be worth my time to put more effort into that, especially if I am trying to be something more than a tourist. 

That afternoon, we discussed with a local pastor what is is like being an evangelical in a predominately orthodox dominated culture. His perspective was interesting, especially because evangelical Christianity is the dominant religion in the USA. He shared with us the difficulties that come with being more of a minority and we learned a lot about Greek culture in the process. 

Later in the evening, we got to lead some arts and crafts with some Albanian children. There were about eight children, and our craft time took the place of an English class that they normally participate in. We did a few crafts with airplanes, and although their teacher had to translate most instructions for us, I think everyone enjoyed the hour we spent together. 

About thirty minutes later, we sat in on adult "English as a foreign language" classes. Becca and I sat in on a level two course. It was very humbling to see how hard everyone was working to learn a language that I take for granted. For many of them, learning English can help them get better jobs (as many of them work below their educational level, if they are even fortunate enough to have a job at all). They were all very friendly and fun, despite the difficulty of learning English at the end of a long day. 

Monday was a big day of learning for me, and I'm excited to learn a lot more over this next week!