Community Support Helps International Residents Through Cultural Transitions
December 15, 2022 at 11:39 p.m.
By Micaela Eberly-
The French-speaking community in northern Indiana faces many challenges, including language barriers and culture shock. International residents can find it difficult to adjust to American customs, especially when those customs are different from what they are used to.
Although most residents of northern Indiana may not interact with French speakers on a daily basis, many will encounter people from another culture. Missionaries, missionary kids and military kids, though born to American parents, have been immersed in other cultures and may have difficulty adjusting to American culture.
Many other countries are represented in the Indiana population. At the International Restoration Church in Fort Wayne, congregants come from countries such as Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Chad, Haiti and Kenya.
Some international residents come for work, such as a Haitian citizen from Elkhart who has not been able to return to his country due to political unrest and wishes to be anonymous to protect his family. Others come for education, like Maxime Bregeon, a student from France who is studying at Grace College.
Jacqueline Schram, of Winona Lake, is part of another important population: third culture kids. Third culture kids are people who grew up in more than one dominant culture. Schram lived in France during her childhood, surrounded both by the American culture her missionary parents brought into the home and the French culture that comprised life outside the home.
Another woman, Rachel Shenk, grew up in Belgium. Now, she owns a cheese shop in Goshen, the Wedge, that sells cheese imported from around the world. Shenk uses her knowledge of many languages, including English, French and Spanish, to create an environment where people of all backgrounds are welcome.
Other than the international residents themselves, many people in northern Indiana work with people of other cultures. They offer a support system to new residents as they adjust to their new lives.
Dave and Susie Hobert have lived in France as missionaries for over 40 years. When they come back to the United States every year, they have the opportunity to interact with international students at Grace College.
The program coordinator for the Institute for Global Studies at Grace College, Debora Wilhite, also works with international students like Bregeon. She works with students as they apply for visas and get permission from their governments to study in the United States.
As many of these people have found their way here from other countries, one thing has helped them all: community support. According to Jean-Philippe Gouin and Sasha MacNeil in “Attachment Styles and Changes in Systemic Inflammation Following Migration to a New Country among International Students,” international students have more secure attachment when they have support from others.
The congregants of the International Restoration Church in Fort Wayne are in community together, the Haitian man has been supported by teachers in his English classes and Bregeon found comfort in his soccer team. Having others to rely on has been important in their cultural transitions.
Even after Schram has lived in Indiana for most of her adult life, she still experiences life between two cultures. This space between can be a challenge, she said, but it is also an opportunity to learn more about identity.
“Really reflect on the experiences and sit with the discomfort,” Schram advises anyone who is adjusting to a new culture. “Don’t lose yourself in the new culture. Take time to explore what is true and unique about you.”
Many opportunities exist for residents of northern Indiana to learn about other cultures. The first step is to support their neighbors, co-workers and fellow church members who come from different backgrounds. These people need support from those around them, and they often want someone who is willing to hear about their cultures.
People can also learn about other cultures by learning a new language. Many tools, such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, are available.
“Learning about culture, a lot of times we think we have to go there,” Schram said. “Learning a language, though, it’s a way to connect with the culture. It’s an expression of the culture. The commitment of learning another language, that’s a window into another culture that goes pretty deep.”
Anyone who comes to a new country is going to face challenges, but as research shows, what helps them is to have people who support them, and one way their community can do this is by learning more about their culture.
“Sometimes, people just want to stay in their own bubble, but having interactions with people who are different is incredibly valuable,” Wilhite said. “In the end, culture is what makes us people.”
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The French-speaking community in northern Indiana faces many challenges, including language barriers and culture shock. International residents can find it difficult to adjust to American customs, especially when those customs are different from what they are used to.
Although most residents of northern Indiana may not interact with French speakers on a daily basis, many will encounter people from another culture. Missionaries, missionary kids and military kids, though born to American parents, have been immersed in other cultures and may have difficulty adjusting to American culture.
Many other countries are represented in the Indiana population. At the International Restoration Church in Fort Wayne, congregants come from countries such as Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Chad, Haiti and Kenya.
Some international residents come for work, such as a Haitian citizen from Elkhart who has not been able to return to his country due to political unrest and wishes to be anonymous to protect his family. Others come for education, like Maxime Bregeon, a student from France who is studying at Grace College.
Jacqueline Schram, of Winona Lake, is part of another important population: third culture kids. Third culture kids are people who grew up in more than one dominant culture. Schram lived in France during her childhood, surrounded both by the American culture her missionary parents brought into the home and the French culture that comprised life outside the home.
Another woman, Rachel Shenk, grew up in Belgium. Now, she owns a cheese shop in Goshen, the Wedge, that sells cheese imported from around the world. Shenk uses her knowledge of many languages, including English, French and Spanish, to create an environment where people of all backgrounds are welcome.
Other than the international residents themselves, many people in northern Indiana work with people of other cultures. They offer a support system to new residents as they adjust to their new lives.
Dave and Susie Hobert have lived in France as missionaries for over 40 years. When they come back to the United States every year, they have the opportunity to interact with international students at Grace College.
The program coordinator for the Institute for Global Studies at Grace College, Debora Wilhite, also works with international students like Bregeon. She works with students as they apply for visas and get permission from their governments to study in the United States.
As many of these people have found their way here from other countries, one thing has helped them all: community support. According to Jean-Philippe Gouin and Sasha MacNeil in “Attachment Styles and Changes in Systemic Inflammation Following Migration to a New Country among International Students,” international students have more secure attachment when they have support from others.
The congregants of the International Restoration Church in Fort Wayne are in community together, the Haitian man has been supported by teachers in his English classes and Bregeon found comfort in his soccer team. Having others to rely on has been important in their cultural transitions.
Even after Schram has lived in Indiana for most of her adult life, she still experiences life between two cultures. This space between can be a challenge, she said, but it is also an opportunity to learn more about identity.
“Really reflect on the experiences and sit with the discomfort,” Schram advises anyone who is adjusting to a new culture. “Don’t lose yourself in the new culture. Take time to explore what is true and unique about you.”
Many opportunities exist for residents of northern Indiana to learn about other cultures. The first step is to support their neighbors, co-workers and fellow church members who come from different backgrounds. These people need support from those around them, and they often want someone who is willing to hear about their cultures.
People can also learn about other cultures by learning a new language. Many tools, such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, are available.
“Learning about culture, a lot of times we think we have to go there,” Schram said. “Learning a language, though, it’s a way to connect with the culture. It’s an expression of the culture. The commitment of learning another language, that’s a window into another culture that goes pretty deep.”
Anyone who comes to a new country is going to face challenges, but as research shows, what helps them is to have people who support them, and one way their community can do this is by learning more about their culture.
“Sometimes, people just want to stay in their own bubble, but having interactions with people who are different is incredibly valuable,” Wilhite said. “In the end, culture is what makes us people.”
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