Call me multicultural… call me a cultural misfit

Call it what you like: I’m a young, white, American girl living in the middle of Africa attempting to speak a tribal language and trying to learn French too all the while living with German and American missionaries, working with a bunch of really cool Africans who don’t speak any English, and hanging out with expat Europeans and Americans. I am so multicultural!

There are three main people groups I spend time with here in Bangui: Africans, expats, and full-time missionaries. It’s an interesting mix of cultures and, to put it bluntly, I don’t fit in with any of them. Maybe that's part of being multicultural but sometimes I feel like I’m a total cultural misfit missing my niche. It’s not all bad, just a little lonely and exhausting at times.

Me with two of my African friends: Matilde and Williame

I definitely don’t blend in with Africans because… well… I look different for one. I stick out like a French-fry stuck in the middle of bowl of cocoa puff cereal. I also don’t understand how African culture works and every time I think I’ve got things figured out I realize that I really have no clue. I guess there are just some things about African culture I will never understand. It also doesn't help that I’m not fluent in their language making it hard to have many significant conversations. Bottom line: being a white American girl, no matter how hard I try to blend in with this culture, I will always be treated as different.

Hanging out with the expat community I at least look like them. However, being here as an American missionary intern, I can’t say I fit in with the lifestyle of the affluent, well dressing, French speaking Europeans and Americans who go about their diplomatic work and hang out in their large air conditioned homes, eating at French restaurants, and going to cocktail parties with important people. They’re cool people and I like them and like hanging out in their air conditioned homes with them but they live a different lifestyle than I do here.

The third category is the full-time missionaries and this is the closest I get to fitting in. Most of the full time missionaries here are over 40, speak Sango fluently, go to bed early and wake up early to do lots of work. That doesn’t quite describe me so I can’t say I fit in with this way of life either.

Ellen and me hanging out at the sweet new park in town

I am very glad for the fact that there are other Americans about my age living in Bangui at the moment: Caitlin and Matt with GBIM, Ellen working at an international school down the road, and Sophie, the US ambassador’s daughter. We’re all very different but we have a good time exploring the city together and planning fun adventures. Maybe I do have my own little niche.

I didn’t write this blog post with the intentions of making you feel sorry for me… just to help you understand the unique situation I’m living in right now. I say I’m living a multicultural lifestyle and it’s true on so many levels. I’m learning the importance of being a person who appreciates many ways of life and loves many different types of people and also stays true to the life God has called me to live.