Home again, home again!

Home again, home again jiggity jig! We have been back in the US for over 2 weeks now and it has been a whirlwind of fun and crazy. The reverse culture shock has not been too bad- so far Charlie has not pulled down her pants and peed in any public location- or at least that I know of.

I think the transition has been so easy because we have been blessed by people who have taken care of us and doted on us in so many ways. Our first US blessing came when our plane landed in Chicago. Dear friends of ours picked us up, let us take showers at their house, fed us, and supplied a plethora of toys for Charlie to play with. It was the best 8 hour lay over we have ever had! Then when we arrived in Phoenix, Josh's parents picked us up at the airport and have been blessing us non-stop since. They have graciously let us stay at their house until Josh gets a job and we find a place to live. They have also taken on the role as "the most funnest people ever" according to Charlie. As soon as she wakes up, she wants to play with Grandma and Grandpa and amazingly they usually want to play with her too! This provided me lots of time for my consigning project.

(Notice the outfit Charlie is wearing- 6 month old outfit that should have gone to the sale, but is perfect for "tea" with Grandma).

Much of my time so far has consisted of getting Charlie's old baby items ready to sell at a consignment sale, working at the consignment sale, and buying new fun toys and clothes at the consignment sale. There was also a few shopping trips thrown in there- ok more than a few and also several dining out experiences.

Josh has been keeping busy looking for a job in the IT field- searching for openings, networking, and brushing up on his skills. And lots of Myth Busters watching.

Charlie has been having a blast playing at the playgrounds and splash pads. We have gone to the library and the Children's Museum also. Add to that swimming and new toys- we have worn her out every day. She is having a blast, but almost everyday asks when we are going back to our home in Banyo because "she misses her friends."



We have transitioned back to the American lifestyle quite easily, but occasionally I look at the things around me like one of my African friends might. The first time I went to the grocery store, I was overwhelmed by the abundance of produce- and how clean it was. There was no dirt on the carrots! When I walked through the mall, I thought about how crazy/amazing it is that there are so many brightly lit, beautifully decorated store there were that just sold clothes! When we first drove on the roads in Chicago, Charlie kept on saying "whoo, whoo, whoo." She was so excited by how "fast" we were going.

Thank you for all of your prayers! We are so thankful to be home with family and friends.

No place like home...

There is no place like home, there is no place like home....

Sorry for the Wizard of Oz opening, but Charlie loves this movie and it is often in my head- as is Annie, but I will spare you my singing “Tomorrow” because it will most definitely get stuck in your head for all of eternity.

I digress.

This time next week, the Shinars will be back in the States! Maybe I should say we will be “home” in a couple of weeks, but really Banyo feels just as much like home to us now. Maybe the best thing to say is that we will be at our other “home” in a few weeks!

 

As a missionary, you learn to get used to dichotomy. We are American, but no longer like we once were. We are African, but not really. We are foreign, but familiar. Everything around us is familiar, yet foreign. We feel at home in 2 different places. So naturally, our feelings are split when it comes to returning to the States. There are many things we will miss and many things we that make us excited about returning!

Food- Almost everyday, Charlie will say, “When we go to Grandma's house, we will have lots of....”
99.9% of the time she fills in the blank with food- cheese, blueberries, ice cream, etc. (Once she said we will have lots of toothpaste and tooth brushes!) We all are looking forward to foods we can only dream of while in Africa like sushi and tender chicken, but at the same time we are going to miss our 20 cent humungous, creamy avocados, the exotic guavas that are just starting to produce, and local foods like egusi (pumpkin seed soup).

Clothes- Surprisingly, Josh thinks my African mumus leave something to be desired, yet I have to admit I am going to miss the joy that is loose, comfortable tent-like clothing. And having only 5 outfits makes getting dressed easy. But I get his point. We have a running joke amongst the missionaries about Josh and his never ending supply of gray t-shirts. They are all he wears. My eyes wouldn't mind seeing him in something a little more fashion forward! But like me and my mumus, he thinks his gray shirts are sublime. So an immediate trip to the mall is in store for us upon arrival! Also related to the clothes thing, on the top of my “things I am excited about having in America” list is a dryer. Rainy season weather is not very conducive for drying clothes outside on a clothesline. I cannot tell you how many hours a week I spend hanging clothes, moving clothes in and out of rain, in and out of the sun, in and out of the house, etc. On average it takes 2 days to dry clothes! And often, the clothes start to turn ripe smelling. To have warm, fluffy clothes that smell like Tide and Downy straight out of the dryer sounds dreamy.

Weather- If there is one thing we are not split about, it is weather. Rainy season is not great for clothes drying, but it is gorgeous and the temperature is perfect- not too hot in the day and cool at night. The sound of the rain at night when falling asleep is amazing. Now, the weather in Phoenix at this time- not so amazing. Boo. Hiss. Not looking forward to that at all.

Activities- On the flip side, we are not going to miss the lack of things to do (especially after dark) here in rural Africa. I realized the other day that we have not been anywhere after 6pm in almost a year! When we get back to the States, I am going to go to the movies or out to eat at night and I am not going to wear a head covering. I know, scandalous!

People- Of course what pulls our hearts in opposite directions the most are the people we love. We are beyond excited to see friends and family. I can't wait for Charlie to interact with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins again. I can't wait to be with them either! But, when I think about our friends we are leaving behind, my heart aches. I know that we will see most of them again, but when I think of my elderly patients and the fragility of life in Africa, the what-ifs make me teary. Today when I said goodbye to a patient and good friend of mine, we were both in tears. Me crying is not that big of a deal, but these people rarely even cry when a loved one dies so to see her crying was special and heartbreaking!  

 

On that note, maybe now might be a good time to break out in Annie's “Tomorrow!”