Pittsburgh Theological Seminary’s curriculum includes a required intercultural learning trip to help students see their own ministry with new eyes by stepping outside their context. These trips are part of the “Intercultural/Experiential Learning” course (MI310) offered by the Seminary every January Term, organized by the World Mission Initiative. The course provides pre- and post-experience orientation and reflection in cultural proficiency and anti-racism, intercultural communication, a theology of short-term mission engagement, area studies for the specific context to be studied, and spiritual practices for mission.
The January 2023 trips were to Lebanon, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Israel/Palestine. Excerpts from student reflection journals will be shared on the blog throughout the month.
Intercultural Trip to Lebanon
Journal Author: Hannah Ostlund
Journal Entry #1
The first major noticeable intercultural interaction that I experienced on this trip to Lebanon happened during the fellowship hour at church on our first Sunday in the country. After a wonderful service we made our way to the church’s fellowship hall where we had Arabic coffee and had the opportunity to engage with the congregation more directly. When we first walked into the room it was immediately apparent that the room was divided strictly by gender lines. All of the women were on the right side of the room and the men on the left. We were all on the same end of the room on comfortable couches, but strictly separated by gender.
Our group seemed to immediately understand this dynamic and instead of seeking to “change things up” we went to our respective sides and dove into conversations with various individuals. I believe one major thing happened in this intercultural interaction. As a group of Americans, we were directly placed into a situation of clearly divided gender boundaries that does not usually happen in our context. The separation was stark, and I personally had the moment of internal conflict of whether or not to mix things up or to follow the clear cultural and social boundaries already present in Lebanese culture.
When we reflected on the day that evening, it was clear that I was not the only one in our group to feel conflicted by this division. We wanted to be culturally aware and appropriate but we also were fighting the internal culture of inter-gender interaction that we experience in the United States each day. Once we were seated in the room that Sunday, things went on as normal. Nothing was awkward and conversations did not seem to lag or change once we slid into the apparent cultural dynamic of the room. This was a lesson for me in acknowledging what may have caused some internal discomfort in the intercultural interaction, but not letting that stop you from accepting it and moving forward. We aren’t in the business of changing or “mixing up” cultural interactions just because that’s what we feel should be done as Americans.
Another interesting piece of this intercultural interaction was the presence of E. and S. in the room. S., as a Lebanese native, was welcomed with open arms by this congregation. He was immediately asked his family name, where he grew up, etc. only to come to find out that his uncle is a regular attendee and connected at the church we attended. S. provided a great key for the rest of our group on what to do, how to approach conversations, and how to follow social and cultural cues. We were lucky to have him in the room and to be able to experience this stark difference to the way we may gather for a fellowship hour after Sunday service here in the U.S.
E., on the other hand, as someone who knows the congregation and pastoral leadership of this church in Rabiah, helped us to realize that while there may be a stark visual division among the room, it was actually more flexible than we might have assumed. E. walked into the fellowship hall after us and immediately approached the pastor who was on the male side of the room. She sat down and began interacting with the men. While this did stand out to me as “mixing up” the room, it was not awkward or out of place. It was just something that stood out to me at the moment, but ultimately made the intercultural encounter more flexible in my mind.
Journal Entry #3
On the morning of Jan. 10 in our hotel dining room I was immediately greeted by an older woman in a hijab. It was clear to me at that point that she was not a member of the staff we had come to know but likely a new guest of the hotel. As I was leaving the dining room after breakfast, the woman made a point to step into my path and to say, “Hello, how are you?” in English. This initially stood out to me because it was different from any other interaction I had thus far with someone from an Arab culture. This was the first time someone had gone out of their way to step into my path and speak to me.
From that day forward, that woman and who I perceived to be her daughter made an effort to say hello to me each morning, and I tried my best to interact with them as well. Each day for about five or six days we would go about this pattern of interacting. I would try my best to say hello in Arabic and she would reciprocate in English. I found this interaction to be quite warming and welcoming. This woman had no clue who I was or why I was in Lebanon with a small group of people who were clearly Americans. This did not matter to her; she was just being kind and there was something so beautiful about it that stood out to me.
About two days before we left Lebanon to head back to Pittsburgh, the woman approached me at breakfast. She gave me a big, unprompted hug and cheek kiss (customary in many Arabic cultures). In broken English she said “photo” and pointed to who I assumed was her daughter. At this point I had ashamedly not even learned the woman’s name but had come to love her welcoming spirit I encountered each day. At this point in my intercultural experience, I am not unused to being asked for a photo or having photos taken of me without me even knowing about it. So, I said sure! The presumed daughter snapped my picture with the older woman and then proceeded to take a selfie of all three of us.
I don’t know where that photo will end up. I don’t think I’ll ever know why she may have wanted a photo. What I do know is that we both felt something different or special about the interactions we had each day we stayed at the hotel. Some days we did not even exchange words but still shared our hellos with a wave, nod, etc. I think this was a stark intercultural encounter for me because of how rare this seems to be in the United States. As someone who considers themselves friendly, I would likely try to have similar interactions in hotels here only to be looked at like I had three heads. We are such an individualistic, secluded culture that even when we have the opportunity to share space and experiences like hotel breakfasts or interactions in the lobby, we are uncomfortable doing so.
Overall, this intercultural interaction reminded me just how powerful it can be to put yourself out there when being kind to someone you don’t know even if it challenges the culture you may have grown up with. I think I was more comfortable doing this in Lebanon because of the wide and abundant hospitality that was present in interactions from restaurants, to taxis, to the partners I met with along the way. I am grateful to have had this experience with this sweet older woman who I sadly don’t remember her name and will probably never see again.
Since 2001, the PTS World Mission Initiative has sent 987 individuals to 61 countries. Learn more about the Intercultural Trips.