Some Mornings When the Sky Looks Like A Road
Where are you from? That question is impossible to answer. "My parents live in Mount Vernon, Washington" is the usual answer. I live in Bangladesh. I was born in Canada. I grew up in Honduras. I would move back to California in a heatbeat. Where am I from? I guess I'm from the United States if I have to pick, but I hate to pick.
After being in Bangladesh for 2.5 years, I've been back in the US for two weeks now. Parts of it are so much fun. I love the big gallon jugs of 2 % milk that taste so good. I love grocery shopping at the supermarket, and swiping my debit card. (Though it does take me longer than most people to figure out which brand of biscuits I want, and to remember how the card swiper works at the checkout counter.)
Driving is another thrill. I haven't driven in the whole two and a half years I've been gone, and once I re-figured it out it is so much fun to drive on the near empty streets of American cities. I'm on a road trip in British Columbia right now and the liberty of the wide open road with the stereo on full blast is wonderful. The scenery is a bonus.
A deep part of me misses Bangladesh. The crowds of lively people. My warm Dhaka flat that is so familiar and comfortable. My friends and church. The daily struggle to communicate in a foreign language. The States feels strange. The easy comfort of life here bothers me. There is no challenge awaiting me in the every day. Poverty is some distant problem, not a person that reaches to me from the street and taps my leg. The mental struggle with stewardship, rights and justice that push me to use my time and resources wisely is missing. America is full of luxury that already I take for granted. The hot water is always in the tap. The electricity never goes out. Vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and clothes dryers take the work out of house work.
I have been surprised by how much fun I am having sharing about my work in Bangladesh with groups here in the States. I anticipated apathy and judgmentalism, and instead have found an audience eager to engage with another culture and curious about other religions. In church presentations, college classes and informal dinners I've had great discussions on my work in Bangladesh, and how that relates to the challenge of the Millennium Development Goals, the work of the Micah Network (www.micahnetwork.com) and what Christians can do to Make Poverty History.
I still have 4 weeks here in North America before I return to Bangladesh. Having finished a speaking tour on the East Coast, I am now in British Columbia visiting my grandparents and enjoying the snow covered mountains and fresh air. I look forward to connecting with the rest of my supporters in Washington and California. I also look forward to returning for my last year in Bangladesh relaxed and refreshed.
After being in Bangladesh for 2.5 years, I've been back in the US for two weeks now. Parts of it are so much fun. I love the big gallon jugs of 2 % milk that taste so good. I love grocery shopping at the supermarket, and swiping my debit card. (Though it does take me longer than most people to figure out which brand of biscuits I want, and to remember how the card swiper works at the checkout counter.)
Driving is another thrill. I haven't driven in the whole two and a half years I've been gone, and once I re-figured it out it is so much fun to drive on the near empty streets of American cities. I'm on a road trip in British Columbia right now and the liberty of the wide open road with the stereo on full blast is wonderful. The scenery is a bonus.
A deep part of me misses Bangladesh. The crowds of lively people. My warm Dhaka flat that is so familiar and comfortable. My friends and church. The daily struggle to communicate in a foreign language. The States feels strange. The easy comfort of life here bothers me. There is no challenge awaiting me in the every day. Poverty is some distant problem, not a person that reaches to me from the street and taps my leg. The mental struggle with stewardship, rights and justice that push me to use my time and resources wisely is missing. America is full of luxury that already I take for granted. The hot water is always in the tap. The electricity never goes out. Vacuum cleaners, dishwashers and clothes dryers take the work out of house work.
I have been surprised by how much fun I am having sharing about my work in Bangladesh with groups here in the States. I anticipated apathy and judgmentalism, and instead have found an audience eager to engage with another culture and curious about other religions. In church presentations, college classes and informal dinners I've had great discussions on my work in Bangladesh, and how that relates to the challenge of the Millennium Development Goals, the work of the Micah Network (www.micahnetwork.com) and what Christians can do to Make Poverty History.
I still have 4 weeks here in North America before I return to Bangladesh. Having finished a speaking tour on the East Coast, I am now in British Columbia visiting my grandparents and enjoying the snow covered mountains and fresh air. I look forward to connecting with the rest of my supporters in Washington and California. I also look forward to returning for my last year in Bangladesh relaxed and refreshed.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home