So I'm sitting at my parent's house in Aiken, SC watching the Superbowl with my dad. (Ok, I'll admit I'm really just watching for the commercials...college football is my thing not pro.) I just put on my pj's and am wrapped up in the blanket because I've been cold since I arrived in the US almost a week ago. Honestly the first night I was here I had on flannel pj pants, 2 pairs of socks, a long sleeve shirt, and a sweatshirt under a throw blanket on the couch and was literally SHAKING!!!! Mom thinks I was over-tired...I think really it's just that 110 degrees to 35 was a bit much for my little body!
Ok enough on the fact that I'm cold. I thought this would be a great moment to tell you about the things I've realized are normal for Americans that hit me as I re-entered this culture...
~EVERYONE has a cell phone with internet/e-mail (I had not been in the airport in Dulles 2 minutes and everyone around me was on their blackberry or i-phone...I just laughed to myself and thought most days in Moz it takes me 5 tries to text someone and that's a good day.)
~Stating your opinion openly is excepted. (Americans are VERY opinionated in other words)
~Cars stay on the right side of the road. (This one was tough for me. I haven't driven in 5 1/2 months and as I got in the car the first time I kept telling myself...stay on the right...stay on the right. Well I drove to the end of our road on the left until I stopped and wondered where the stop sign was...on the right where I should be! OOPS!)
~People are on time, or at least try to be.
~EVERYONE is busy...always! (I'm not saying I'm not busy in Moz most of the time, but here everyone is running from one thing to another all the time.)
~Future thinking is normal; planning is expected. (The most frequent question I have been asked is what is next for you. I don't have an answer, but it's made me realize how normal it is to plan out your life year by year, as well as moment by moment.)
~Worrying about the way you look is a way of life. (Every morning I've been here, I've wanted to laugh at myself as I shower, dry and fix my hair, put on make-up, and pick out some clothes. In Moz I shower, throw my hair in the ponytail, put on whatever clothes are on top of my stack, and head off to work.)
I'm sure there are many other things that have hit me or taken me off guard in the past week, but these are what I can think of now. The part that amazes me is the bubble that American's live in...they just have such a hard time stepping out of this materialistic, goal centered world they live in to see how much of the rest of the globe lives. It's something I expected and was prepared for...as much as you can be prepared that those you love can't really grasp the last 5 months of your life.
All of that to say...I'm blessed to be home; I'm loving seeing family and friends; I can't wait to see the impact God makes in people here through the stories I have to share; but I definitely miss all the staff and little ones in Moz!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI am a South African living in Mozambique. I was glad to find your blog. Isnt the world dynamic. I am from Pretoria, just some 6 hour drive from Moz but it takes some adjusting for me in Moz too.
And the way people are so casual about time and appointments is worse. Its an "African time" phrase taken to another degree. If you are in Maputo we can do coffee sometime. Would love to know more about the ministry.
Enjoy your family. And please take pics of snow.
Mbini
I think you will find more and more differences as you "live" between cultures. I recall crying uncontrollably when I returned from my semester abroad - not that it was a third world country by any means - but that it was so different and I felt a little like I was living in a different world in a different time. It was hard to return but obviously I've adjusted. It was interesting to read your point about time and always being busy ... having spent the last year not being busy I've had a chance to watch this from a different perspective. I'm trying so hard not to become as busy as I was and definitely trying to change the habit of this somehow being an important/status thing. Hugs to your family!
ReplyDelete....and WE MISS YOU!!!!
ReplyDeleteMbini...I just got back to Moz and would love for you to come spend some time with us at the center. You can contact our hospitality : zimpetohospitality@irismin.org!
ReplyDeleteHope we see you sometime soon!
~Meghann