Dealing with Culture Shock and Adapting to a new field

Meditate on your thoughts and thinking processes and subsequent actions! Take time to think about your thinking. Your thinking affects your acting and dealing with the stress in your life.

1. Am I taking care of my spiritual life and walk?

2. Personal devotions.

3. Family devotions.

4. Praying yourself happy every day.

5. Do I cast all my cares on the Lord?

6. You miss your family and home; tell the Lord.

7. You worry about your safety and security; trust the Lord.

8. You worry about what others are thinking of you and your work; you serve only the Lord.

9. Am I intentionally surrendering my will to His will every morning before I start my day?

10. Bring your complaints to the Lord.

11. Remember He called you, and He is your Lord.

12. You want to seek His will in your life to the point that His will would be done in your life as it is in Heaven.

13. Have you made your home a haven?

14. As comfortable as you can.

15. Consider furniture, kitchen, beds.

16. Family photos.

17. Have you developed a tourist attitude?

18. Do you look for the beautiful, the special?

19. Are you working at having fun?

20. Are you trying the restaurants?

21. Are you making new friends?

22. Are you getting out of your house.

23. Are you trying to talk to people you do not know.

24. Remember that you must be friendly to make friends.

25. Do you work at keeping an open mind?

26. You may not understand why they do what they do, but you will listen, wait, and learn.

27. A closed mind would think that the way they do it is wrong because where you come from is the only way.

28. An open mind would be to put yourself in their place and think through what and why they are doing what they are doing.

29. Do you work at maintaining a positive attitude?

30. About the people.

31. The language.

32. The culture.

33. The environment.

Austin Gardner