I recently saw the movie Jack Reacher at the movie theater here. (Side note, going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do and I am so thankful I live in a city with three movie theaters : ) Tickets are about $5 and since I've been here there has always been at least one American movie playing in English with Mongolian subtitles. I have also seen a Mongolian romantic comedy and didn't really understand it, but it was fun. Also, when you buy your movie ticket, you pick a seat in the theater, so you can walk in 5 minutes before the movie starts and you know exactly where your seat is. No waiting in line to get a good spot with your friends. Genius.)
I enjoyed the movie.. I like action movies and it had plenty of action, Tom Cruise wasn't bad, and the plot wasn't totally predictable. It was entertaining. But it was also troublesome. The movie starts with a seemingly random shooting and innocent people are killed. And in light of current events in the US, and with my students asking me why America is so crazy with guns, I couldn't just watch the movie and be entertained. I was uncomfortably aware that for everyone else in the theater, this was their idea of the US: Guns, scantily clad girls dancing in bars, and corrupt politicians. And... how fictional is that?
I'm on vacation for one more week before winter courses begin, and that means I have a lot of time to think. I know, dangerous territory. But I've come to one conclusion.
Travelling makes the world seem much smaller and much, much more complicated.
Mongolia used to be a far away land, and now it's my second home. In fact, if you want to come visit, I could give you a decent tour of the city, order us some traditional food, and maybe take you to karaoke. You would marvel at the mountains, try not to be uncomfortable by the crowded busses, and see a million ways that this place is completely different from your hometown. But if you stayed for a little while, you'd start to see how similar it is, how people are all alike, and how different is not the same thing as "less than". It would ruin everything you think you know about the world and life and purpose, at least, that's what has happened to me. My world is smaller and larger and simpler and more complicated than ever before. I don't even know that I like this new perspective. It's uncomfortable.
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| My Mongolian language teacher and me at the faculty holiday party |
- Sing more. I love singing, on key or off key, pop songs or praise, in the shower or on a stage. I miss singing with a group on a regular basis, but why should that stop me from singing? Here, people sing on the bus or around the office or walking down the street... and maybe I won't go that far, but I can at least serenade my roommate more.
-Strive for excellence, not perfection. I got this off Pinterest, and I like the sentiment. I'm a total perfectionist, and sometimes that is a good thing. But other times, like when learning a new language, I just need to embrace the reality that I won't be perfect, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try. I need to do my best and work hard. Which leads me to..
-Resist the urge to judge others. It's so easy for me to hold my measuring rod up to others, tweak the numbers to fit my perception of reality, tweak them a bit more depending on my mood, and then judge them and treat them accordingly. That's a stupid way to think about people.
-Avoid negativity. If I'm around negativity, I become negative. But 2013 will be a time of cultivating enthusiasm.
-Eat appropriately. When I don't eat when I'm hungry, I get grumpy. When I eat gluten, I get sick. When I eat too much because I'm emotional, I get fat. When I don't eat because I'm sick and tired, I get more sick and tired. It doesn't take a genius to figure this out.
-Do what makes me happy. This probably means I will get another tattoo this summer, I may never cut back on my coffee intake, and I may be setting myself up for making a few mistakes this year. But I will learn and grow from those mistakes and I will be living life to the fullest.
-Draw near. I have a nasty habit of trying to solve problems on my own, because ever since the age of two I've been fiercely independent. But we are promised that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. And as the song says, "There is no one else for me... now I live to bring Him praise."
(This last one also touches on an issue I can't get out of my head. What will I do after May? I have the option of extending my commitment in Mongolia. Or I could look for a job in the US. Or graduate school. I'm just not sure, and I don't like not being sure.)
Travelling makes the world seem much smaller and much, much more complicated. But that's from my perspective, a wee little human, in a city of 3 million, halfway around the world. Nothing is too complicated for the One who called me here.
Happy New Year, friends. Many blessings <3
Carissa
