MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
Today, I sit in my home in Spain. I dream of traveling the world, but I can’t.
Maybe I can’t jump on a plane to visit my family on the other side of the globe. Perhaps I can’t take a take a trip to my “dream” land. However, I can still travel—through music.
I wrote this story last year . . . a good reminder that I can still travel today. We can still travel today.
Come along with me. Listen with me to the cultural sounds of music!
January 15, 2019
Today in my coaching class, we had to introduce ourselves by choosing a type of music that symbolized our last 48 hours. It wasn’t hard for me to hear it—the cultural sounds of music playing.
The Silenced Music
Recently, my monotonous and sobering days have been quite unrhythmic and quiet—monotone. The cold, dreary weather of snowy Pennsylvania hasn’t lifted my musical spirits. Rather, the chill has deafened my ears to the sound of global rhythms. Mainly, there has been silence.
Sometimes, I get out my instrument and play my cultural tune alone.
It’s so different from our life in France. In the streets, in the schools, in the parks, in the stores, in the markets . . . ethnic music always sounded in the air. The sometimes chaotic, yet fascinating and mysterious, mix of tones and voices from the mouths of diverse people groups—from many lands—Afghanistan, France, England, Morocco, Germany, Russia, Tajikistan, Spain, Algeria, Ukraine, Syria, the United States, Iraq, Tunisia, Iran . . .
I can still hear it—sometimes—in the far-off distance.
Yesterday, however, I heard it again. I heard the beautiful sound of a harmonious, international symphony. It was truly “music to my ears.”
We were invited for lunch at the home of a German-American family, some international friends from our “Oasis of Cultures.” It certainly wasn’t our typical, mono-cultural day—lacking diversity.
The Global Table
Around the table sat a “global” circle of friends, representing four different countries—Italy, Germany, the U.S., and France—along with a unique blend of several cultures in our children’s veins and genes. Two multi-cultural families—German/American and French/American—and a foreign exchange student from Italy. We were all so different; yet, we were all so much alike.
We were all “internationals,” and we were each playing our musical instrument—our cultural tune together. Diverse, yet together. Isn’t that how it was intended? All of us playing our tunes together, not separately? United, not divided?
Didn’t God intend it this way?
One day, in heaven, “a great multitude that no one can count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language” will gather. We will gather together, each with our own cultural tune and language—playing an international song.
I heard the international song again that day in our friends’ home.
Before the meal, we formed a circle and held hands—many nations, many tribes, many peoples, many languages—united. One of the children thanked God for the food on the table and the friends around it.
Our table conversations were rich and atypical, reaching deep into our long-lost homes and native parts of the world.
Topics ranged from the birthing of our multi-cultural marriages, to the challenges of raising children in a bi-lingual home, to cultural differences in educational systems, to the displaced feelings of our “Third Culture Kids,” to whether or not the people in our culture close the bathroom door when no one’s in it.
The Colorful Song
The unique blend of foreign accents from around the globe and the joyful music of international song made my heart leap. It was a harmonious tune of French, German, English, and Italian.
The cold and gray in my world quickly morphed into vivid colors and rhythmic, ethnic dancing.
I could hear it—the cultural sounds of music!
Can you hear it too?
Are you ready to travel around the world with me through ethnic music?
Listen with me to some beautiful cultural sounds of music!
Global Sounds: Music From Around the World
—The Cultural Story-Weaver
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
Let’s Weave Cultures!
What music would you choose to describe your last 48 hours? Do you need some ethnic tunes in your life to drown out the monotone sounds? Are you longing for some cultural diversity in your song? Where can you go to find and “hear” this international rhythm?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures—as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
Beautifully written. We enjoyed being part of the symphony.
I can still hear the beautiful sounds of music coming from your home. Thank you for playing your cultural instrument and joining in the song.