My foreign trip

The tale of a cross-culture experience I had in January 2008 ~

The four of us (three Japanese friends and I) met at a convenient spot here in our town and got into one lady's Mercedes Benz. She drove us downtown Chiba and parked in the cheapest parking lot she knows ($1/hour). We proceeded to walk the distance across Chiba's red-light district to the new 5-story building just purchased for $727,000 by the 7-year old Chiba Korean Methodist Church, which my friend (not a Christian) attends off and on because she is a fan of Korean culture, thanks to a very popular Korean movie star whom many Japanese middle-aged women idolize.

Her Korean friend was waiting outside for us and hugged us all (that was my first taste of the culture shock awaiting me; I live in a non-touching culture) and rushed us upstairs into the meeting room, where about 200 people were already stuffed. They took folding chairs in ahead of us and put them in the aisle (which was only wide enough for one chair), so that if someone needed to get up during the service, all of us on folding chairs also had to get up.

The room was hot, the smell of kimchi was profound, the sound of Korean words filled my ears, and many of the church ladies were dressed in the traditional Korean dress (hanbok). My senses were being assaulted with full-blown culture shock.

The service had already begun and soon everyone started singing, at a much faster tempo than any Japanese church ever sings, "We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves! Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!" I did not realize until much later that the bulletin was bilingual (Korean & Japanese), and so was searching my mind for the words in English, beyond "Jesus saves! Jesus saves!" It was very frustrating to hear what sounded like goobley-gook, and to know that I knew this song, and it would be so much fun to sing it with 200 people (!) and also at a nice tempo. But I was in such culture shock that I couldn't even notice that I could read every other line of the bulletin. All I could see was the Korean, which looked like hieroglyphics. Culture shock was paralyzing me, taking away my ability to remember the familiar.

There was a prayer (I think; at least everyone had their eyes closed, head bowed, and said "Amen" at the end). There was special music. And the service continued as one might expect. I saw a few people with earphones and remembered that my friend had told me that they have translation into Japanese. And I had to deal with the disappointment of having gotten there too late to figure out how to get earphones.

I know how a service goes, and seeing that this was the building dedication service, I also know how a building dedication service goes. I could flip through my Bible and find lots of relevant passages that I presumed the visiting pastor from Korea might be speaking from, and I could pray for this church's ministry, and the use of this new building as a tool. But as for my friends... they couldn't follow it, they certainly couldn't call to mind Solomon's dedication of the temple or Peter's teaching that we are living stones, etc. What were they doing during the hour-long sermon?!? Our friend who took us understands some Korean, and has a great desire to "help" the church, and she wanted to go. The rest of us... well, we just went along with her.

After the sermon, all of a sudden, we were in a Korean prayer meeting. Thankfully I had been in one once before, so I knew it was normal in this culture. Imagine 200 voices praying loudly in Korean, and one with a microphone. Koreans tend to be more emotional than Japanese, so the tears contributed even more to my culture shock.

Then there were congratulatory remarks from (thankfully!) a Japanese pastor. I could understand every word he said!!! (Someone translated into Korean for the other 195 people.)

Then there was special music and an offering (our bulletin had two separate offering envelopes in it, neither of which I could read, and when one friend had asked me at the beginning how much I was going to pay, I had told her nothing, because it's not my church, and I did not want her to feel peer pressure to give when she does not understand who God is). (She was surprised that I am allowed to go to another church, but confirmed that I am not allowed to worship at a temple or shrine. She cannot understand why.)

Then there were more words of thanks, announcements, etc., another hymn (which I sang in Japanese this time), and a very long benediction. Somewhere in there I was sure I was about to faint, as it was hot and crowded and there was a strong, unfamiliar smell (of kimchi) and I had not eaten lunch (because I had arrived home from my own church at 2.30 and thought we were going to a feast that started at 5 pm; I did not know there was a service before the feast). The ambiguity fit in well with all the other culture shock.

I survived, and then was carried along with the crush of humanity that was going up the narrow steps to the eating room, where a meal for 200 had been catered. The middle of the room was filled with one large table (formed by several tables), covered with dishes which were piled high with food. 200 people swarmed the table and people stood eating. Within 20 minutes, the food was gone.

We left, receiving our obligatory gift on our way out (a small alarm clock with words in Korean which I assume say, "Chiba Korean Methodist Church Building Dedication" and the date; the ambiguity continues every time I look at the clock).

Walking back toward the red-light district, we all looked at each other to see what the others thought. I spoke first. "I feel like I went to a foreign country. It was a cross-cultural experience."

Everyone agreed and thanked our friend for taking us overseas tonight without having to pay airfare.

I am worn out from culture shock and culture stress!

And I am so thankful to be past my initial culture shock in Japan.