Thank You to the British Airways person who checked my bags in Nairobi. Apparently, you gave me an upgrade on my bag allowance. Your co-workers in Chicago were not amused, but you really, really made my day. Thank you.
Culture Shock hit midflight. I was enjoying a brief escape to the airplane bathroom when I noticed they had paper cups in there. Free! And why would they have free paper cups in the bathroom? Because you can drink the tap water! This is a luxury I hope to never take for granted again.....
I felt so guilty in the Chicago airport....the bathrooms there had automatic flugh toilets and I was trying to change clothes to freshen up. The stupid toilet kept flushing every time I moved - probably 5 times in so many minutes! I kept thinking about all the people with no clean drinking water and here I was flushing a toilet 5 times in 5 minutes!
Culture shock has hit in other ways - some I have experienced before and some new. I am always shocked by the general lack of clothing worn by ladies in the US. Seriously- I've seen paper gowns that cover more.
And there time and temperature differences. Surprisingly, the normal heat and humidity of the midwest is causing me to feel a bit ill after the cool temperatures at Tenwek. I compensate by hiding inside with the AC during the afternoons.
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| Teddy battles the heat with a bath... |
The myth of the rude american: The airport is American/European culture at its worse (I would also add the DMV into this category!) After 3 flights, 18 hours and 2 lost bags, I felt like everyone was yelling at me for no reason and that everyone was just plain mean. I was tired and very overstimulated......to the point I was nearly in tears. But once leaving the airport (and the DMV), I have been able to view my fellow Americans much more positively!
Re-entry: Since arriving back to the US, I have slowly been able to re-discover things I once enjoyed: Pandora, Netflix, super fast internet. And I have continued in my Kenyan way of some things - grocery shipping is a big difficulty for me right now. As much as I thought I missed food from the US, I find myself buying and cooking the same "menu" I ate in Kenya. Plus ice cream, of course. I missed American milk and dairy products! I am enjoying my bed immensely - I never really got used to the one in Kenya.
I am learning and re-learning some new things about living in the US. Apparently now they have little crystals instead of fabric softner - and they just go in the wash anytime! Amazing....
I miss seeing all my friends and colleagues back at Tenwek. I am praying earnestly for them in hopes that they continue to perservere and fight for our patients, even in my absence.
I am learning to drive again. I am blessed to have been given a van from a fellow missionary (the Jarrett family van aka Batiem!). I have stayed on the right side of the road so far and am realizing I really missed driving!
Overall, re-entry is like the new pillows I bought for my "old" bed....its hard to get used to right now...but it time it will feel more comfortable. Not better than life before. But eventually...comfortable.
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| Teddy is re-learning some old favorite nap spots... |
Advice for Others: Re-entry can be a difficult time for missionaries. I have decided to cope with it by re-integrating slowly and quietly. I apologize to all my friends and family who I have no called or visited yet - I promise I am very excited to see you all. Please continue to pray for me as I go through this difficult time of adjustment.
I have been working through the book: Re-Entry by Peter Jordan. Jordan advices that there are several signs of reverse culture shock:
1. Feeling out of place - wanting to participate, but not quite being able to
2. Feeling lonely - relationships and people change during the time you spend on the field; upon returning those relationships have to be "renewed"
3. Reacting in odd ways - introduction to a new culture can be so overwhelming that little things can an extreme emotion. For example, the grocery often overwhelms because there are so many options - in other countries - there are few if any options.
4. Negative reactions to material goods - there is a big discrepancy between what one has in their home culture and the field culture; this may cause feelings of guilt.
I list this both as information for other missionaries but also for people in my own life. Just in case you see me acting strangely....
Jordan closes with this:
"The apostle Paul, who moved freely among a number of different cultures in the exercise of his ministry, had this to say on the sibject: 'I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength' (Phil 4:11-13)."
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