Monday, January 9, 2012

Being back in the U.S.

On our visit to the states a lot of people asked us if it felt weird to be back or if we were experiencing any "reverse culture shock".  It did feel strange to come back to the US for the first time in 14 months after living in a "developing country".  It was strange to hear so much English being spoken, for the roads to be so wide and smooth, and it was weird to see how much of a selection of everything there was the first time we went to the grocery store.  


After a few days, though, probably the most shocking thing to me was how "normal" things in the US felt.  That initial shock wore off much more quickly than I thought it would.  Pretty soon it felt normal again to be able to find nearly any type of food you could ever want in any grocery store, or to see really nice houses without a wall and razor-wire around them, or to be able to walk down the street at night.  I'm definitely no expert on living abroad and there's lots of places in the world I haven't been yet, but I've learned enough about the world outside my home country to know that the lifestyle that most people in the United States enjoy is not normal.  I don't mean that there's anything wrong with it.  I just know now that what we have experienced here in Honduras in a little over a year is much closer to reality for the vast majority of people around the world than the culture I lived in for 31 years. 


I think probably the best thing about being back in the US was, for me, being able to enjoy the small (and not-so-small) luxuries that I had grown accustomed to.  I was able to better appreciate those things and to feel gratitude to God for them.  I think that must be the point.


bd

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