Anticipating Home

I have tried not to complain much about our living circumstances here, and we have adapted fairly well (I think) with rural living. However, there are definitely a number of things I am looking forward to upon returning to the US!

· Seeing my family and friends
· Cooking meals, or even snacks, in less than two hours
· Driving a car
· Driving a car to a grocery store that is less than an hour and a half away
· Eating healthy, fresh food
· Starbucks/Peet’s/various other coffee establishments
· TV
· Restaurants, cafes, and any other place that has food that I didn’t cook
· Weather that calls for wearing jeans and a sweater
· A haircut
· Laundry machines
· Not having bugs in my food, my dishes, my clothes, my bed …
· Hot showers and hair driers
· Libraries and bookstores
· Not having mold grow on everything

At the same time, I am a little nervous about the reverse culture-shock that I’m fairly certain is coming my way (during her visit, Katie regularly told me how shocked I’m going to be). My fashion sense has deteriorated to what my mother calls “missionary clothes:” long skirts, ugly sandals, faded but modest shirts (to be fair, most missionaries I know are very stylish – I call the look “peace corps chic”). We have been out-of-touch with technology: it is only thanks to facebook that I have heard of an ipad (but I still don’t know what it is). We walk everywhere here and take public transportation – I’m looking forward to driving again, but I don’t know how I will react to American car culture. And what about materialism? And the amount of skin an average person shows on a summer afternoon? And the fact that you don’t typically greet every person you pass on the street? I know we will miss the infamous African hospitality that we have become so accustomed to giving and receiving. How will we adjust to the pace of life and values that emphasize more and more, faster and faster, bigger and better?

Some things are a mixed bag. As much as I look forward to being able to understand everything that everyone says (in English), I will miss learning and practicing Swahili. It will be nice to be updated on current events, but I have realized how much stress is removed from life when you are not constantly inundated with information and bad news from around the world. The weather in CA is ideal, but my body has actually adjusted to the Mombasa heat. However beautiful our future home is, I can’t imagine anything will compare with the incredible views of and from Ribe. I am ecstatic to see my friends and family again, but I know I will miss the friends we have made here and our host family.

Of course our return to the US will be bittersweet and it will take some time to adjust back (I may hibernate for the first couple days). I will miss Chris a ton, and it will be weird getting to know the US again without him at first. But I thank God for a great 10 months in Kenya, and am looking forward to seeing how our time here will have a lasting impact on us as well as the local community.