Daily I have conversations in Spanish with my practicum teacher about culture. Sometimes I leave with the misguided and arrogant assumption that I understand and that living amidst a foreign culture isn't that hard. Then I have a day like today. During my interactions with our friend Carol, the following situations showed me my true cultural ignorance.
1) I offered for her to use a "modern" kitchen item of ours and in the process belittled her as a person and her country's time-honored methods.
2) I invited her and her daughter over for dinner. Her response was a snappy, "For what?" To which I responded, "For fun!" I still don't know what in my invitation seemed offensive.
3) For a 6:30 dinner I planned for everything to be ready at 7. While waiting for her for 30 additional minutes the food dried out and got cold. In the midst of analyzing my own stress over the situation I was also laughing at myself for even considering that a Peruvian "6:30" dinner would start any time before 8:00 - (the most first and most obvious cultural lesson for a foreigner).
Days like this one I am so grateful that God gave me a love and thirst for learning cultures - to carry me through the embarrassments of doing just that!
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