Culture Shift

I have had a Xanga site since last fall when the girls i work with set one up for me to post on while i was in Ghana. I like it because i get a deeper look into their worlds. Two weeks ago i asked for them to name some trends that they are involved in personally or simply are a part of their culture. Here is some of what they said:

• vintage
• The O.C.
• Urban Outfitters
• Trashy Teen Novels (Gossip Girls)
• Laguna Beach
• Vietnamese Food
• Being Overly Political
• Facebook (another blog-type web site)
• straight edge rave parties

This week i am housesitting for a 12 year-old and a 16 year-old. My cultural study has deepened as i observe their ways. Grady, the 12 year-old boy, is in 6th grade at a Tulsa Public School and feels the need to talk about sex for the mere shock value of it all. He is not loud and abrasive, which would fit the mold, but is sensitive and actually really sweet. He listens to his ipod to put him to sleep and carries around his mom's cell phone as if it were his own. I offered him a reward for getting in bed on time. His choice: Frappucino from Starbucks.

Audrey, the 16 year-old girl, is in 11th grade at a private school and is extremely beautiful, intelligent, hard-working, etc. She drives a new Volkswagon bug and actually has a relationship with her parents. She is much more than she seems from a first encounter. She is very much part of the stereotype, but at the same time is way more than that, which is refreshing.

This generation of teenagers is so interesting. They have so much more in terms of technology (ipods, wifi, laptops, cell phones), finances (from parents (mostly) and working), and opportunities (college courses from Jr. year, traveling, missions, enrichment programs, etc.)...but all of this creates a greater vacuum in their souls. Their desire for what is real and true is much more desperate than among my peers in high school. This makes the challenge of working with them greater because there is so much to compete with externally, but it is "easier" to talk about the deep things of God because their culture allows for it. There is definitely a shift between teenagers now and teenagers 8 years ago... but i like the challenge this offers. As my study continues i will let you know what i find...especially you, AP.

P.S. This photo if of the Sr. High kids we took to New Orleans this summer for our big mission trip.