Thursday, February 16, 2012
Blake and I have been back stateside for almost 2 months! This time has gone by so quickly already, but yet since we are sharing a house with 3 other adults and 2 kids, some days it seems like it won’t go fast enough. But don’t get me wrong, I am very much enjoying being with family and friends and familiar faces!
We returned December 21st, just in time for Christmas, and right away Blake and I wanted to be a part of the Christmas festivities so we braved the mall the day after we arrived. For the next 2 weeks we found ourselves going to the malls, Wal-mart, grocery stores, and any other store we could think of, in some combination, at least once a day. For myself, I am very disappointed at how fast I fell back into the American culture of materialism.
After being in some of the poorest areas in Africa, where people don’t know when their next meal will be, I should have felt differently about the “things” of America, but after having been gone for 2 years, I felt “entitled” to them. Anything I saw, I wanted to buy. Bath and Body Works, shoes, clothes, shoes, jewelry, did I mention shoes, a variety of foods, anything really, just because it was new! Now of course Blake and I need to replace many of our clothes, as most have permanent stains or holes in them, but some of the things I felt like I just NEEDED, wouldn’t do me any good in Africa. For example…snow boots, not going to do me any good once I cross back over the Atlantic. The Lord has been working on me in the area of self-control, so I exercised what little bit I have, and refrained from buying anything unnecessary.
Once I got past my feeling of entitlement, I felt overwhelmed by the variety of choices. I went to the store to buy milk, bacon and eggs, and it took me more than 30 minutes to decide which brand of bacon I should buy, what eggs I like and what milk I should choose. Really? It’s just bacon, milk and eggs!!!! It shouldn’t be this difficult. I felt that way for a while every time I went into grocery stores, or wal-mart…wow especially wal-mart. Now that we have been back a few additional weeks, I am starting to remember how great it is to do your shopping here. I can cross everything off of my list in one stop, what a great feeling!
I am sure as the week’s progress, we are going to continue to feel other emotions, as they deal with culture re-adjustment, but I am also trying to prepare myself for those emotions. Cultural transition is definitely something Blake and I are going to continue to face for many years to come. Especially if we find ourselves continuing to serve long-term, but I wonder if at any point it balances out? Will we remember what it’s like to transition so that I don’t find myself in another dilemma over what bacon, eggs and milk to buy?