far and away

Brad and I are getting excited about finally coming home for Christmas. This is by far the longest I’ve ever been away from home and lately I’ve begun to realize just how much the time and distance have changed me.

A few examples:

1. Sometimes when I watch British or American TV shows I think, “Is this set in the future?” Only to realize that it’s not.
Brad and I are well aware that we are behind the times. Our fashions are four years old and technology has left us in the dust. When we first left the US to teach in Barranquilla, I didn’t know a single person who owned an Iphone.

2. I will always be afraid of tap water.
You can tell me it’s safe, you can show me the studies, you can drink a glass right in front of me, but I will always be just a little bit afraid of drinking straight from the tap. I’ve had one too many bad experiences for that.

3. Grocery stores are mind-boggling.
There’s a scene in the movie Hurt Locker where the main character comes home from Iraq and stands befuddled in the cereal aisle. Any person that’s lived abroad anywhere can sympathize. Even coming home from Spain made me stand, open-mouthed, almost drooling, during my first trip to Dahl’s. But in Spain there were at least nice, if tiny, grocery stores, full of lots of delicious food. Here, our grocery store has four aisles, which are maybe, MAYBE six feet long and only chest-high. Most of the food is foreign to me and the grocery store has a terrible odor that lingers on the boxes and cans even after we take them home. At the checkout, we stand at a counter and have to play a game of push and shove in order to maintain our place in line.

4. My daily routines are all mixed-up.
To be more specific, I haven‘t driven a car in almost a year. Or done laundry. Or hugged my mom and dad. But every day I ride past cows on the road, and people squatting in ditches, and motorcycles carrying up to five people. And I don’t even look twice (especially at the squatters).

Because of these things, and a few more, I have a feeling that home might feel a bit strange, but in the nicest possible way. I’m looking forward to seeing it with fresh eyes. But I’m a little worried about fitting in, really I am. So, if I shove you in line at the grocery store, don't be MAD, just turn around and give me a hug to remind me where I am.