What a Simulation Can Teach You

I never realized how incredibly challenging, encouraging, stressful, and amazing a simulation could be.

That's what we're doing right now... a simulation. It's a 6 week-long class here at MTC where we get to practice things that we've learned over the past year. Actually, not just "things". We're practicing pretty much EVERYTHING we've learned.

Anyone who's ever done a simulation before knows that it helps solidify material that you've learned, but it also brings up aspects of the situation that you've never thought of before. This simulation is no different.

I've discovered so much more about myself and the way I process. But I've also seen how difficult it is to work on a large team. We've had several heated (note the "heated) discussions in our class of 45ish students about various things in the simulation. Things you never would have thought would be an issue. Things like how much to pay someone for helping you learn their language and culture. Apparently, that's a really, really big issue in many places around the world. In some locations, how much you pay your language helper can totally ruin the tribe's society because they aren't used to receiving money like we are.

Another sore topic has been smoking and drinking. Think about it. If someone in the States offers you a beer, it's ok to say no if you don't want to drink. There's nothing wrong with it. However, in a lot of locations around the world, refusing a sip of beer could completely jeopardize your relationships with the people. They might take offense at your refusal simply because it is a way of life for them and it is a way they show that they are friends. And if you don't know the language very well, it could be really hard to fix that mistake.

And there are a million other minute details that you would never even consider when going into another culture. Add to that the 45 different personalities represented by our class, and you've got quite the simulation on your hands.

So yeah, it's been good, but somewhat stressful. All the details, information, and interpersonal issues make it a challenging class, but it's also helping me think through a lot of good stuff. For instance, am I really going to make a good teammate for my coworkers on the field? Am I working to solve issues or simply stewing about things that don't go my way? Am I focusing on building relationships or am I focusing too much on the task at hand? What would Jesus do if He was in the situation?

I guess there's a lot of questions, and I'm still learning the answers. I'm glad I can begin to learn them here instead of on the field where the results could be a lot more disastrous.