Extreme makeover?

I'm pretty keen to follow Paul's example, which, far from imposing his own culture, saw him becoming like a Jew to win the Jews, like someone 'under the law' to win people 'under the law', or like someone without the law in order to win those different folk. At first glance it seems a shifty, manipulative strategy, but if you only read a little more of what our man Paul has to say, you soon see the genuine and deep love he feels for all these people.

Positively speaking, I reckon this means I should aim to be on the same wavelength as people here in Chile. That way I'll understand and feel where they're coming from, and I'll be able to communicate and act in ways that gel. And not as some rational strategy, but because I love and enjoy the Chilean culture and people. Negatively speaking, I need to avoid being too strange. I'll need to lose enough of my foreignness to guard against people feeling intimidated or ill-at-ease around me.

But - and this is what I really need to remember - none of this means that I should totally shed my Australian skin. I can be a blessing to folks here by bringing some of the good of Australian cultural practices and points-of-view. Also, it's good for me to display an acceptance and pride in my own culture that I would have Chileans take in their own. And, even though Paul spoke so strongly about changing himself for the sake of others, he stayed Paul. He was being considerate and canny, not fake.