Orientation

We just got back from our two-day orientation session on a relatively high note. While we continue to struggle with the lack of details--where will we be living? what will our Internet access be like? what will our jobs be?--we are certainly excited about the trip and are moving full-speed ahead on the preparations. Just to give you a taste of how complex it has been to wrap up our lives in DC, here are some of the logistical items on our to-do list:

1. Get visas for China trip, and make all the necessary flight and pick-up arrangements
2. Register for Russian courses in DC (expensive!)
3. Figure out what to do with our car for the next year (thanks, Bryna and Jay!)
4. Close any bank accounts that might charge a fee while we're gone
5. Find and confirm our apartment's renter
6. Set up our trip to Cleveland to meet with the Jewish orgs and professionals there
7. Get a DC business license for renting the apartment
8. Run a rough sketch of next year's taxes, so we can understand the impact of our volunteering on our financial picture
9. Assemble the necessary items we are going to need next year, like electricity converters and drug items
10. Change our address and cancel any services we might be paying on a monthly basis for

And this is just the tip of the iceberg!

The best part of orientation, in my humble opinion, was the session on cross-cultural understanding. Maybe because it appealed to my psychology-major roots, or maybe because the teacher was a sex therapist in her free time, but I was riveted. She got us to start thinking about our culture as a series of linear spectrums, and each culture has a different worldview based on where it falls on that spectrum. Here are just a few of the things to consider:

• Individualism vs. Collectivism: Is the goal of your society to assert yourself and speak your mind all the time, or should you fit in and maintain harmony above all else?
• "Time is Money" vs. "I've Got All the Time in the World!": This got me thinking about the work environment, where some people are more focused on getting the job done, and others enjoy work relationships and socialize a lot more.
• Optimism vs. Fatalism: I'm no expert, but this may be where Russian culture and American culture diverge starkly. Americans believe that life is what you make of it, and your accomplishments shape who you are. From what I've read, Russians are far more fatalistic and pessimistic, as you can read in Crime and Punishment. Life is much more random, and there is no arguing with the random events that happen.
• "Just the Facts, Ma'am" vs. Body Language: It will be fascinating to see how differently Russians will communicate. Americans are notoriously goal-oriented, and expressing unchecked emotions is frowned upon by our society. But Russians are expressive, obnoxious, and highly emotive--and that's before they even open their mouths!

Over the next year, it will be interesting to see how we can bridge these cultural divides and create understanding despite our massive societal differences. I hope we can adapt to our surroundings and make friends with our fellow community members, but not lose the strengths that we bring from our backgrounds and push the community to grow and improve.