Ignorance is ????

So, last week, I was having dinner with some other teachers from the states and we started talking about how nice it is to not know the language sometimes. You walk by a group of “punk” looking teenage boys and think, “What nice young boys,” because you have no idea what they are saying. They could be talking about the beautiful blue sky, how lovely the flowers smell and how they are going to go home and clean the house for their mothers. Or they could be swearing and talking about how much they hate school, teachers, parents and everyone older than them. The great thing is, I have no idea. So I assume the best and think that the punk teenagers are talking about flowers and house cleaning. Ignorance is bliss.
And when the telemarketer calls, you can just start talking in English and they are sure to hang up on you. Ignorance is bliss.


Interesting fact #6
Stop lights here work differently than in the States. They still go from green to yellow to red, but instead of going straight from red to green, they have this “get ready to go” function. So, when the light is red, and about to turn green, the yellow light goes on as well as the red. Then the red and yellow lights change to green. Although it is supposed to be just a get ready to go light, the red-yellow combination light seems to mean give it as much gas as you can so you can scream through the intersection as fast as you can. Or, if you are a bus, the red-yellow means go, since it takes you so long to get going.

Ignorance is bliss… Or is it…
On the other hand, sometimes I feel like a dope. Our school announced that they were holding a bowling event for all the teachers. Kind of a teambuilding thing. Great, I thought, I love to bowl (even if I’m not very good at it). We found it with relatively no problems. We got there and put our stuff in the locker and another teacher took us to get our shoes. She asked us what size shoe we wore. Seems like such a simple question. It’s very humbling to have to say that you do not know your own shoe size. We had to pull off our shoes to see if the European size was written on the inside. Ignorance is humbling.
Or when I went to a café and confidently ordered my drink in Slovak, after all it’s only a hot chocolate. And then, the waiter asks something. Something simple like, “Would you like whipped cream on that?” And I ask, “Co?,” (what in Slovak). He repeats and of course I don’t understand, so I have to say that I only speak English and he just shakes his head. Ignorance is humbling.

On a simpler note, having to ask someone what is on the lunch menu everyday, getting someone to write down exactly what to say when you go to buy a train ticket and then after practicing it, ending up having to give the paper to the ticket agent or having someone buy you baking powder so you will know what it looks like.

Interesting fact #7
Related to the fact above, right of way on the streets. Vehicles have the right of way. No questions asked. If you are a pedestrian, watch out. Cars actually speed up when they are approaching a person crossing the street. No kidding. They have no mercy on the elderly, children, dogs, even mothers pushing strollers. I have seen buses honk at an elderly man crossing the street. And while there are zebra crossings (crosswalks), it seems like it is an optional thing. I have learned to look both ways, two or even three times and when in doubt… RUN!

Lessons in ignorance
So, I have come to believe that God has something to teach me in all of this ignorance. First and foremost, to depend on him. I am realizing more and more every day how completely I need to depend on him. Second, to depend on other people. I like to be independent. In the States, it is a quality that is valued quite dearly. It is good to be independent and not good to be dependent. God, however, is teaching me the beauty in being dependent on others. Sometimes it is for something as simple as choosing something off a menu, other times it requires a leap of faith, such as signing a power of attorney over to someone I met only a month ago. Please pray that these humbling moments would be for me opportunities to rest in the fact that God is in control and not get frustrated by the lack of control. Thank you for all of your prayers. They have not gone unheard.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)