the phrase usually ends with the tough get going. But what does that mean? When life gets difficult, the tough leave? They put their shoulder to the grindstone and push harder? I've been facing a number of challenges adapting to life in the mission field. It's funny now, because I used to pride myself on my ability to adapt. I could give you all the reasons why one should be flexible and I could give you examples but when I think about some areas of my life, I see that I was not always as adaptable as I thought I was. Coming here has reminded me of that.
Over the past 17 years I've been on a personal health journey. At first we lived in an environment where health was mandated but gradually it shifted to an educational process. After working with chronically ill patients for a year and seeing the impact of lifestyle and how positive changes resulted in positive health, I made the decision to intentionally live healthier. It didn't happen overnight and I'm still learning but I can see a definite change from a person who could eat chocolate brownies with added chocolate frosting for breakfast to someone who relishes steamed greens. Of course I'm a woman, so I still love my chocolate! but now it's for dessert instead of the main meal.
In the past year or so, the next phase of my health journey was a choice to be vegan as far as possible. I enjoy reading labels so it was an easy shift to eliminate dairy and eggs from my daily diet. Then I came here. At first I enjoyed some of the favourites I'd grown up with, including labneh (a kind of yogurt-like spread) and halloumi (a soft cheese). I remembered putting slices of soft white cheese alongside slivers of Persian cucumbers and rolling them up in a circular flatbread to eat for supper. I had a cheese manaeesh from a nearby bakery and was overjoyed that it still tasted as good as I remembered it.
But soon I noticed that my throat was constantly itching and the food in the cafeteria was quite oily, salty, and often covered in cheese. I knew the baked items must have had milk and eggs in them too which added to my level of anxiety. With a genetic history that includes cancer, stroke, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, I recognize the urgency of living as healthfully as possible. It is a constant struggle but I need to keep fighting because I don't want to live with the consequences of any of those diseases.
After doing my research and realizing that it would take time for change to occur, I decided to cook my own meals and only take select foods from the cafeteria. However, this decision did not happen overnight. There was much debate and I found that my level of flexibility did not include eating foods that went against my personal health standards.
Now I need to be transparent also. If I am invited to someone's house or eating out with friends, I will likely eat as a vegetarian because in this culture that is already going one step beyond the norm where a meal is considered incomplete until the meat is set on the table. While I can fill my plate with as many plant foods as possible, there may be dairy-based items that I will eat. However, this is an infrequent occasion. Eating in the cafeteria happens twice a day, 7 days a week (breakfasts are okay).
I am learning that flexibility and adaptability are necessary to living in other cultures but it is not necessary to adapt to the extent that I change my personal choices.
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