One of our best friends in the entire world just wrote a book that describes what it is like to be an American family living in China trapped between 2 cultures that feel like home.
If you are interested in catching a glimpse into what our lives are like and the struggles we go through, then consider purchasing her book. She has done an excellent job of putting into words our life that seems like chaos and confusion.
But don’t confuse this book with being superficial! My friend is far from superficiality and filters everything through the lens of her theology and doctrinal beliefs. In her introduction she writes: “As a Christian, I am personally reflecting what it means to be “aliens and strangers in the world,” in light of being a foreigner in another country.”
Here is what she wrote on her blog about her book along with a summary:
I’ve had been wanting to write for a long time, but all of my brain cells were being used birthing children and staying awake past 8 pm. Now that I have packed away the diaper bags and sleep in one continuous block of time, I decided to write. Here’s the summary on the back of the book:
My first attempt at speaking Chinese resulted in my telling a street vendor that I wanted to buy a daughter instead of milk. It was at that point that any semblance of self-respect was swept into the well-filled gutters of my new culture. Redefining Home follows our struggle as comfortable Americans moving into the chaotic streets of urban China. From the early morning cadence of funeral drums to being accosted by an 80-year old man armed with a toothless grin, China has become home in many ways. As outsiders, we get to take in the culture with the naivety of a child while trying to avoid the cynicism of a middle-aged bowler. After several years, we returned to the States for a brief time only to discover that it no longer felt like home. Having conversations about intestinal parasites or my fascination with American gas stations was not a great way to fit back into the lives of our friends. We quickly realized that we had changed…as had the people around us. Flying across the ocean to return home to China reminded us that it’s the space in between the two cultures that defines our family.
The book chronicles how as a family we find ourselves “Redefining Home,” and as followers of Christ, how we have become strangers and aliens in this world. Both take a re-calibration of our identity.
If you click on the book it will send you to her amazon page where you can read reviews and comments. Her book is also available at Barnes&Nobles and will soon be released on Kindle.
