On the Roller Coaster

I love roller coasters. The feeling of the drop in your stomach or the upside down swoop is thrilling to me. Whenever I'm on one, I make a conscious decision to trust the engineers and maintenance workers that built the ride. Maybe I shouldn't. But when I'm suspended in a metal car, I have found that trust makes the experience actually fun. The fact that I don't control the ride doesn't matter. If I can trust, I enjoy the ride.

Living abroad hasn't been anything like the international traveling I've done so far. I expected culture shock/ homesickness to hit after months, once the excitement of a new place had subsided. I have since grown in wisdom and understanding. My previous adventures abroad have always been with Americans. Although we were experiencing new cultures, it was always processed as a group. We were able to understand the new culture together.

Just two weeks here and I have hit the culture shock/ homesick wall. There are moments when I am convinced that this is exactly what I'm supposed to do. Then, there are times when I'm contemplating purchasing a return ticket to the States. These ups and downs are constantly fluctuating. Sometimes, in the same moment, I can experience the conflicting opposites.

My first week and a half on the roller coaster made me very frustrated. I thought it was a sign of weakness or being too sheltered.  The community here in Hurlingham is quite diverse, but nonetheless, I am the sole American. Much of my vocabulary, life experiences, accent and sense of humor are bona fide American. In the beginning, I spent most of my time with others in complete silence; I was busy observing and trying to understand the new culture I was in. 

Being on the coaster is natural in such a setting. The sisters are so welcoming, the children are so loving, but that doesn't deny the fact that this change requires adjustment. 

Through the advice of friends who are experiencing the same thing, I have decided to trust the engineer of this ride: God. I don't have to love the lows, but I don't have to be angry at myself for feeling low. If I trust in the adventure, I know the low always swings to a high. 

And when I get off this ride, I want to look back and say, "I trusted in the Engineer & I had a great time!"

*end of philosophical thoughts, now fun pictures :)

Our pet here in Hurlingham--apparently his name literally means 'cat' in one of the tribal languages.

Who knew that my bird call trick would be the hottest thing since eating sugar cane? 

These girls are helping each other perfect my party trick.

This picture fails to portray just how much I struggled to eat sugar cane. 

All the girls thought it was so funny...

oh and apparently, you're not supposed to swallow it. 

Monicah is one of the sweetest girls. Although she's rather shy and quiet, 

she is quite the diva for the camera (her 20 selfies on my camera attest to this).