July 5: PQT

1. PQT stands for Prior Question of Trust. This question asks: "Is what I'm thinking, saying, and doing building or undermining trust?". And I would say to someone that this is basically a question that we should be making often to ourselves once we enter a new culture to avoid breaking trust and help building one. That way we allow ourselves to consider better how some of the things we do or say can affect negatively the relationships with the locals and choose to act based on what's the best.

2. Three nonmoral issues that I think we should work on as a group are: gender issues, time views, and frame of reference. And in order to build trust we would need to follow the guidelines given to us regarding alone time with opposite sex. We should ask God for patience when we feel like we have none left when things don't go as planned or when things get done late. And not expect everyone to understand everything we talk about because they live in a poor place and things that are usual to us would not probably be for them.

3. From all the twelve nonmoral issues, there is just a big one that I believe I'm going to have trouble with: Food. I am just weird with that. Not eveything is tasteful to me. I can handle most things except meat. I don't eat meat since I'm a little girl. I just don't find it tasteful. And I don't want to leave it on the plate or be seen as demanding if I ask to not put it on my plate, and I wouldn't like to place it into somebody's plate either. All of that seems pretty much rude, and can be seen as offensive as if I didn't like the way they prepare it or something. I think that all I can do is at least try to eat it, just try.