Cross-Cultural Bird Watching

Last week I heard an incredible bit of insight into the spiritual dynamic of crossing cultures, and "home". At a commissioning ceremony for new missionaries, an older, retired missionary gave the new class some tips and pointers.

"When you get to your new homes," he said, "watch birds."

When one moves to a new country, and lands in a new culture, beauty will come in unexpected packages. One's ability to prosper in that new land will hinge in part on opening those packages. Birds are part of the natural environment, and are thus less important for a sense of home than the cultural environment, but important nonetheless. They also teach us about the cultural environment.

For one thing, in the international, jet-setting world, people are so abstracted from their natural surroundings that every place is no place. It's hard to gain a sence of place when the economy revolves around a globalized everywhere. But locals still live there. They often have a work face and a home face, and sometimes they can't wait till the end of the day when they can be themselves again. When we only get to know a place through the locals' work faces, we miss out on the best that place has to offer.

For another, watching birds teaches us about the seasons and times of one's new home. We get to know our own hearts, and our own homes, better by watching a new place.