Former chemistry teacher, Christopher Hu,  has begun a new journey in the city of Madaba, Jordan. Hu and his wife, Josy Hu, left this past summer on a mission trip with a non-profit organization called Frontier Alliance International (FAI). FAI is a Christian affiliation that provides humanitarian relief in the Middle East. In this tumultuous region, it can be difficult for outside groups to provide aid.

“In these war-torn locations, people are dying left and right and have little to no access to medical treatment,” said Hu.“It is so dangerous that there are not many NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) that are willing to work in these countries. We have teams in locations that can only be reached via mule and sniper-coverage.”

Hu has committed to living in Madaba for a year but after that year ends, his plans are uncertain. He is open to remaining in Madaba, relocating or even returning to teach in the United States. While Hu’s future plans are not concrete, his motivation remains solid.

“My primary motivation is Jesus Christ and the Gospel. As a Christian, I live to worship, honor, love and obey Him,” said Hu. “Coming here was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made and it has been an increasingly difficult process.”

Becoming proficient in Arabic is one of Hu’s main goals. He attends language schools for three hours every day, and has an hour of private tutoring later in the evening. Hu immerses himself in the local community and culture by attending local churches, engaging in language exchanges, and community events.

“It’s incredibly hard when you want to communicate something to someone but don’t have the skills to express yourself. It’s frustrating when you want to understand but can’t. The language barrier is a real thing,” said Hu. “My Arabic is improving tremendously, so I’m able to understand a lot more now. Especially in the beginning, I couldn’t understand a thing and you feel so dumb because you can’t even say the most basic expressions.”

The culture differences between America and Jordan have been particularly difficult for Hu. The living style in Jordan has been hard for him to adjust to.

“The way of life here is just so different than American culture. It has been an incredibly eye-opening experience. One of the biggest things that sticks out to me about Arab culture is that there is no sense of time,” said Hu. “I like schedules, being on time, etcetera. But planning is foreign to people here. You have to be ready at any moment. There’s no planning in advance.”

Hu was shocked by the treatment and status of women in Jordan. Women have little power and are harrassed often.

“The treatment of women here is abysmal. It is unsafe for a woman to walk alone. That statement should speak for itself. Harassment is a daily occurrence, not just for foreigners, but locals. Men have the absolute power and women are subjected to whatever they want,” said Hu.

Hu has also experienced harassment when it comes to his race. He believes it traces back to an ignorance, and lack of exposure to other races.

“I am 100% American, but no one believes that I’m American. I’m Chinese here, not American. Regularly, kids, teenagers, and even adults will pretend to speak ‘Chinese’ to me on the streets. Like they will yell something like ‘ching, chong ching’,” said Hu. “I’ve realized just how much prejudice is rooted in us. It has caused me to examine myself. People have not been exposed to a more diverse community; they haven’t seen many people that are unlike them.”

Despite cultural issues, Hu has cultivated numerous friendships through church, school, and meeting local shop owners. However, Hu misses Rockbridge and teaching. He keeps his former students, friends and family updated through daily Snapchat posts.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss Rockbridge. I miss teaching so much; I miss all of my students so much. I felt like I developed incredibly strong and deep relationships with my students, and that I was making an impact on my students’ lives. It was so meaningful. In my classroom, I felt like I could be myself and that I was accepted and that I belonged,” said Hu. “I feel more like a foreigner, more like an outsider, than I ever have in my life here. So I guess I miss the sense of belonging.”

Even though he misses Rockbridge, Hu is confident in his decision to move to Jordan, having learned many life lessons and much about himself.

“To be honest, I’m still wrestling through a lot of questions in my mind about my life. I’m still trying to figure it all out, but I am confident that God is leading me through every step of the way,” said Hu. “I know that I am learning a lot of things about myself, about the world, that I wouldn’t be able to if I didn’t decide to come here. I know that I’m supposed to be here, at least for now.”

Hu hopes to better the lives of people affected by tragedy. He thinks it is important to acknowledge current events and crises happening around the world.

“I think it is impossible to ignore the crises that are affecting our world today. But it’s not enough to simply acknowledge the existence of these tragedies, problems and crises,” said Hu. “The key question I ask myself and that I would encourage others to ask themselves is, ‘With what I know and what I’ve learned, what am I going to do about it?’ So here I am, not really knowing what I’m doing, honestly. But I came here because I said ‘yes’, because I want to make a difference in the world.”