In Transition

So, Asia and America are different. Here are some journal entries from the past couple months on things I've encountered after arriving in the U.S.

June 23 (Day 1):

(1pm) It is surreal to be here, back in the U.S. and I can't wrap my mind around not going back to Asia anytime soon. This just does not feel permanent. What will it look like? What will the next steps be?... (8:30 pm) Some first impressions/observations before I sleep:

• Dairy seems inescapable! Americans clearly love dairy. It was everywhere I looked––yogurt, cheese, milk, potato salad, ice cream...
• Wine is cheap here.
• My steak meal at Outback cost the same as ramen noodles at LAX airport.
• There is an entire aisle of wines at Publix.
• At the airport in China they had wines that cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars!
• Americans are loud and enthusiastic.
• Customer service is excellent! The lady at the deli was SO nice And our waitress at Outback. As well as other Publix employees.
• Orlando is quite diverse. Did I really leave Singapore? People walking into Publix were speaking Chinese, and the cashier was from India. I expected to hear Spanish here. But Chinese? Indians? Wow!
• Durien Durien Thai Cuisine. The name and the food make me feel at home.
• The restaurant name Nona Sushi took me a while to figure out. I couldn't believe they had an Indonesian name ("nona" is a title for a young lady)! Finally it dawned on me: it is named after the area: Lake Nona.

June 25, 10 pm

• I didn't know/remember American service to be SO accommodating! "We'll give it to you however you want it..." Woohoo!
• Getting overwhelmed with technology. How is it possible to stay in touch with everything coming out? What kind of people/societies will the world produce with constant upgrades and changes? What will the children of this generation (my generation) be like as adults? Are humans getting smarter or dumber? What happens when there is an electronic shutdown? If the Internet disappeared?

Lord Jesus, help me to know how to relate to this life. I don't necessarily want to adjust/adapt to it.... I think my teammate of 3 years in the jungle prepared me more for living in the US than if I had never left. Strange. It is bizarre to me how I can go half-way around the world for nearly 5 years, live in a jungle for most of it, and still return up to speed on so many things. Well, maybe not speed, but in the loop. Impossible 30 years ago. Even 20 years ago probably. What a strange, strange era I live in!

Hold my hand, Lord. Don't let me get swept away....

Lessons learned in the past few years:

• It pays to stop and pray. Even when (especially when?) you don't think you have the time.
• How to make bread and granola and yogurt

June 29:

I've been struggling with how nice things are here and feeling––guilty?––about being here and enjoying the luxuries of the U.S.... but then I think, maybe it's ok to enjoy and take pleasure in this world you've given us....

July 8:

Aunt Judy and I were rummaging garage sales Springfield, IL. We pulled up to park behind another car in the street. A large man was standing next to the car, leaning in the window, talking to someone inside. My first assessment of the situation was that he was a beggar. That didn't strike me as odd until he climbed into the car and I realized I wasn't in Indonesia anymore.

Striking bargains is different, too. It's almost like it's impolite to refuse my offers. One lady did refuse, but didn't offer a counter-bargain! I had to do that on my own. Weird.

...There is too much to do that is fun/entertaining. I don't want to sleep! There is cable TV, my computer, Internet, new games, netflix, books to read, journals, etc etc. I am over-stimulated! How does one avoid it?!... Overload. How do I wind down? Rest? In the car, the radio is playing, the GPS is talking, my Aunt is talking and there are signs everywhere. At home there are TVs on in every room. Sensory overload. My eyes see stuff at garage sales. My hands touch them. Entertainment sounds constantly in my ears, along with all my little cousins calling my name (I love that!). My nose smells the neighbors' burgers when I get home, so I ask them to throw one on the grill for me, too. Then my cousin arrives with her clan and steak, and I eat that too! Feel a bit like a heart-attack.

Aug 27:

My sister needed to go see the doctor in Singapore. Her Singaporean friend Li Fong said, "You Westerners like to do things alone, but not us!" She insisted on going with Charis and it was funny to hear Li Fong's comments about Charis in the doctor's office. Later I sent an E-mail to her:

...I thought of my travels. I always enjoy being alone and I'm confident to do things alone and will not be held back from doing something if I don't have someone to do it with. BUT, having a companion is MORE fun! Thought of the times I have traveled with people, and how much more fun I have and how much easier it is to get around, like leaving all your bags in one place and taking turns going to the bathroom with no cumbersome load, and all the laughter with your friends, etc. So that's my little thought I just had. We maybe think of Asians as not being independent, bound by the need to have a "kawan" (companion), but they are having more fun! :)