Reintegration is the hardest part and the most rewarding…
Mar 20th, 2008 by Jon
The Nicaragua team has been back home for 4 days now and the reality of reverse culture shock is sinking in. For a few of the first-timers, they are feeling angry, sad, and guilty.
Friends and family don’t understand you.
You feel guilty for being so wealthy while others suffer from hunger.
Life seems to go on even while life for you has stopped and turned on its head.
I went through a similar experience last year where I was angry at practically everyone including fellow Christians who claimed to be good and active Christians. The anger turned to sadness as I quickly realized that some people would never understand what it is I’ve gone through, nor will they even care about the issues in Bluefields.
However, born from this frustration were some incredible rewards:
- I ended up leading this year’s mission
- I started this website to raise awareness of the issues in Bluefields
- I have connected with other teams and aid organizations doing work in the area
Sometimes “reintegration” is synonymous to “going back to normal”… but what if you don’t want to be normal again?
To me reintegration is about reconciling yourself to the life you live before the mission. This reconciliation can take many forms and be done in many different ways — but ultimately it isn’t meant to undo any of the impressions missions has made in your life, but rather it gives you a way to cope and hopefully give you motivation to do more in life.
There are two sides to the mission coin: the mission in the field, and the mission at home. The mission in the field is the easy part…
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March 21st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
sometimes your friends and family are trying. you just have to stop being angry at the world for a second to see that. personally, I don’t believe getting stuck on an emotion is going to do anyone any good, you just have to take some time, and then move on, that’s not to say forget everything, but just to make the future better. It’s like, now you have the experience, you’ve seen more than your own backyard, now what are you going to do about it? getting stuck in reverse cultural shock? or go out there and do something amazing? it’s all up to you and your perspective.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Going out and doing something about it is exactly what I’m implying. Using emotions to fuel yourself to do more good deeds is what I found what works for me.
I’m not advocating being stuck in perpetual reverse culture shock (re-read my post and you can see that). Rather reverse culture shock can be positive and fruitful rather than feeling miserable and trapped.
I think we’re both agreeing that using past emotions and experiences can be the basis for doing more good deeds.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Don’t get me wrong, I agree completely. My comment was more for the “few of the first-timers,” who “are feeling angry, sad, and guilty”. I hope they can find in their hearts to let go of that anger towards themselves and their friends, who I know are trying to understand. =)
May 4th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I was really surprised how this trip changed my friend. This is definitely not for someone with a weak heart because it can lead them to make irrational decisions. Don’t get me wrong, your team is doing a great job for helping the needy. However, the volunteers should understand, especially the first-timers, that Nicaragua and Canada have two different realities and it goes beyond the scope of religion. I understand that such experience evokes emotions of anger, guilt, sadness and so forth. Making decisions while feeling those emotions can cause a person to lose sight of the reality back home - or “going back to normal”. Then Jon, you asked, “…but what if you don’t want to be normal again?” Why fuel their emotions more to lose sight of the reality at home? or this is what it’s all about.