Culture Update

Before I came back, I had been warned to expect culture shock. I had friends go on missions trip who came back and had a hard time adjusting back to American culture. We live in a land of excess and when you come from a place where people don't even have food, coming back can be difficult. Questions are asked of oneself such as why was I fortunate to be born in America where even the poor have cell phones and big screen TVs? I was prepped and ready to deal with the culture shock as much as I could be. While I was ready for it, I was also determined to not be judgmental about our culture and return with a “holier than thou” attitude. I've seen people come back, swear they are never watching TV again, never buying a new cars or clothes and begin to criticize Americans. I didn't want to be like that. Yes, America has problems, but it's a great country and I am privileged to be here.

As ready as I was for the emotional roller coaster I was promised would come, I was very surprised when it never did. At least not from culture shock. There are plenty of other things I have been emotional about, but culture hasn't been one of them. I have really enjoyed being back here and have not found myself being judgmental about the excess around me. I love it here and will miss it when I go back. I think because I am only here for a few months, it has been easier to deal with the culture differences. If I was staying in the US, knowing I wasn't going back to Africa, it may be harder.

I find myself using my experiences in Sudan to help me adjust to my life in the moment here. There I learned not to get too attached to anything and be very flexible. That has come in handy since my life is one big question mark and I am only able to plan about one or two weeks into the future. I also learned how little I can live on. In Sudan we lived with what we had and learned to live without the things we didn't. Although money is very tight now, I am not sad about that or feel like I am missing out. I just avoid shopping so I am not tempted to accumulate stuff.

While I miss my peeps in Sudan and Kenya, I am happy to be here today and want to take advantage of every moment because I know the time will go by quickly and soon it will be time to head back and leave behind the people that are so dear to me.