Well, being home has been good… but definitely different! It seriously feels like I have traveled through a time tunnel when I leave Africa and come back to America. If I didn’t know any better, I’d wonder where the cows, sheep, goats and chicken are that wonder the city streets and country roads in Africa. I would be amazed at the enormous automobiles these people drive around—and how everyone seems to have at least two of them!! But I would find absolute beauty—much like that of Africa, right here in my “new” backyard. This thing called snow—though treacherous is absolutely breath taking at times. And the food! Wow, the food! There is so much variety in content and flavor and style; it’s almost overwhelming. To think that anyone could ever go hungry in America blows my mind; I don’t think I’ve been hungry since I stepped off the plane!
I have had the awesome opportunity to talk to several people since I’ve been back and I have quite a few more chances coming up (including talking to two high school health classes about HIV/AIDS this afternoon!), but what I have told people is that you really can’t compare Kenya (or Uganda) to America. They are two totally different worlds. Each has their good and their bad; that’s life! And while my heart is happy to be back home with family and friends in my comfort zone; my heart still thinks about and misses those kids and people in Kenya very, very much. I haven’t really experienced the reverse culture shock I’ve been warned about yet; but here are some things I’ve noticed—
The first one may gross some of you out, but welcome to the mission field! We would have to conserve water on our compound because some times our house tank wouldn’t refill itself from the municipal line every day. In order to save a lot of our water we adopted the slogan, “if its yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown, flush it down!” from several other missionary families we met. (Yes, we did have flushing toilets!!!) Now that I’m back in the States, and although I don’t have to worry about checking to see if there’s enough water in the big tank outside, I still don’t see the point in flushing the toilet if I only go #1! C’mon people! We should all be doing our part to conserve water no matter where we live! I’ve considered starting a national campaign… ;-) The other day I used the last egg and I found myself staring at the empty egg carton as I held it over the garbage can. “Should I really throw it away? You can totally re-use these things!!!” At the small market where we did most of our shopping, Soy Supermarket in downtown Kitale, we would transfer our eggs from the flat to the carton, take them home and then take our carton collection back every few weeks for Mahendra (our grocer) to re-use. I was forced to throw it away—who’s going to use it?! But now I want to find a grocery market where I can re-use my egg cartons! (Prineville doesn’t have recycling, by the way, if that’s what you’re thinking.) But my last story is the real duzy! I was driving up to the drive through window at Starbucks the other morning. I was coming up to the drive-thru drive way from the parking lot side. When I was almost to the entrance, a car turned into the parking lot from a street entrance right in front of me. I kind of hesitated, but decided I had right of way, since I was entering from the parking lot, where the line would have already formed (there are no lines at the Starbucks in Prineville… it’s beautiful!) After I turned into the drive-thru, I looked in my rearview mirror and the passenger of the car I apparently cut off was flipping me off as they drove past the driveway!! Not only that, but she was at least 60 years old!!! I was so flabbergasted I just had to laugh. How utterly ridiculous! I thought about going through the drive way, parking and going and finding them and saying, “I’m sorry I cut you off out there, but thank you for handling it with so much maturity!” With a big smile on my face and warmth in my voice, of course. But I didn’t. When I came around the side of the building, they were parked in a handy-capped spot right there, and the infamous passenger was talking on her cell phone. Oh man, I thought to myself… only in America!!! :-)
So coming back to America, life goes on. My world view has definitely changed. My heart has changed. This country has changed, and Kenya has changed. God is in the business of change! I would like to continue posting more on here as I debrief, so please stay posted. I am thinking about starting another blog now that I’m back. But would anybody read it? Let me know! :-)
Love & Blessings,
Alita
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5 comments:
Hello Alita. Kelly's aunt here (Becky). I've been checking all you guys' blogs looking for comments now that you're home, so I was glad you posted some stuff! Sounds like you're handling the so-called "reverse culture shock" just fine. My observation is that it is simply seeing the huge differences both in culture and in your reaction to it -- having drastically changed your perspective from just one year ago. That's all it is. Keep what's good about Africa with you and let it guide you as you readjust to our culture of excess! Welcome home!
I was in DC this weekend and saw a billboard that read "1 in 20 DC residents are HIV positive." That seemed pretty high for the states. I understand the egg carton thing. We don't have regular reclycling in JC either. It's frustrating. And yes, I'd keep reading your blog.
I totally get the whole reverse culture shock thing. After being home for 2 or 3 months, I was sitting in my living room with my parents, and it was getting dark, and I got up, went and found my candle stick holders and started looking for candle's to put in them, thinking the power was going to go out at any moment. My parents were like, what are you doing?
Hope everything is going well, and I might have to try and get myself up that way to visit!
Please continue writing! I read your blog and I think writing for others helps us to organize our thoughts and actions. I think it also helps us to focus on important issues and keep ourselves Christ-centered and centered on the needs of others and our responsibility to be good stewards of our environment, our country, our families, and our own gift of life, which is part of living for Him. The citizens of the US, saved and unsaved have a problem with slipping into living in our own little world and consequently becoming very narrow-minded and selfish. If you want to observe this more, you should ride with your Dad for awhile in his 18-wheeler. At some of the truck stops, they take conserving water to an extreme and we do have a saying, "If you want to wave, next time wave all your fingers at me!"
I'll read your blogs.
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