Monday, June 23, 2008
Last Night in Colombia
My friends, the time has come to say goodbye to my time here in Colombia. Tomorrow at 4:30 AM we leave for the airprort. I hardly believe it's over, it's like there are so many things left to do and yet we leave tomorrow. The goodbye parties have helped get me ready, but they just make me sad. I hate saying goodbye! And the truth of the matter is that no matter what I think, I have no idea if I will ever be able to come back and visit. How do I finish up here and go back to a life I used to know? That life hardly seems real now, like a dream, and I know when I go back it will be very different from when I left it. And yet this life in Colombia that I know now will soon seem like a dream as well. How does one cope? My only answer is to stick to God all I can.
A Previous Blog that Just Never Made it Up
Scene: 8:00 AM, La Mesa, Colombia. Brent, Cora, and Paul have recently risen from their very hard Colombian beds and are ready for breakfast.
Brent: Boy I sure need some coffee this morning! (Nice and chipper)
Cora: Me too… (Relatively chipper)
Paul: mmmmm (His only version of speech in the morning. He is still halfway asleep.)
Brent: How do you say black coffee again in Spanish? Tonto?
Rachel: No dad, TONTO means dumb…you should ask for TINTO! (Rachel rolls her eyes and laughs at yet another attempt by her father to pick up some key Spanish words. The irony of the mistake is quite humorous.)
My family and I had a great visit last week, sharing stories and updates, laughs and serious discussions. They learned some Spanish words that they probably forgot as soon as they stepped on the plane, but I'm sure that many of the lessons and realizations will stick for a very long time. We spent time looking at the huge city of Bogotá from atop a mountain in the Catholic sanctuary of Monserrate. We visited a Mennonite church in the town of Anolaima where I was playing in the worship band. Also on the tour were various sites in La Mesa, including lookouts over the mountains, the school where I work, the Mennonite church, and a stop at a friend's house to get a pedicure. There were travels to a farm to relax and to swim, a trip to the town of Cachipay (where the Colombian Mennonite church started), and a walk through the poor dilapidated neighborhoods of Anapoima. It definitely wasn't the type of vacation they're used to (we had multiple incidents with loud chickens), but I would hope that my presence made it all worth it!
In light of this visit I am starting to run into a mix of old and new feelings. Being away for so long made the homesickness practically go away by about the halfway point, but seeing my parents brought back some old memories. In that sense it made me more ready to go home. And yet I got a touch of what reentry will be like for me: very "American" comments, actions that seem to go against the way of life I have assimilated myself into. Not that it's anything against my family (I love you guys!) but I have lived in another culture for the last 7 months, and now face the reverse culture shock of my own country and a readjustment to being surrounded by my own countrymen. Very common American attitudes and ways of life now seem strange after trying so hard to delve deep into my host country's mannerisms and customs.
So now I face 19 more days (I'll be home on the 28th, by the way) of mental preparation. To be quite honest I am perfectly terrified of reentering into my own country and have days when I don't want to do it at all. I would ask for your prayers as I anticipate this change and the transition into college in the fall. There are also the more immediate hardships of goodbyes here in Colombia and the final goodbye to the team in Chicago. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated!
Brent: Boy I sure need some coffee this morning! (Nice and chipper)
Cora: Me too… (Relatively chipper)
Paul: mmmmm (His only version of speech in the morning. He is still halfway asleep.)
Brent: How do you say black coffee again in Spanish? Tonto?
Rachel: No dad, TONTO means dumb…you should ask for TINTO! (Rachel rolls her eyes and laughs at yet another attempt by her father to pick up some key Spanish words. The irony of the mistake is quite humorous.)
My family and I had a great visit last week, sharing stories and updates, laughs and serious discussions. They learned some Spanish words that they probably forgot as soon as they stepped on the plane, but I'm sure that many of the lessons and realizations will stick for a very long time. We spent time looking at the huge city of Bogotá from atop a mountain in the Catholic sanctuary of Monserrate. We visited a Mennonite church in the town of Anolaima where I was playing in the worship band. Also on the tour were various sites in La Mesa, including lookouts over the mountains, the school where I work, the Mennonite church, and a stop at a friend's house to get a pedicure. There were travels to a farm to relax and to swim, a trip to the town of Cachipay (where the Colombian Mennonite church started), and a walk through the poor dilapidated neighborhoods of Anapoima. It definitely wasn't the type of vacation they're used to (we had multiple incidents with loud chickens), but I would hope that my presence made it all worth it!
In light of this visit I am starting to run into a mix of old and new feelings. Being away for so long made the homesickness practically go away by about the halfway point, but seeing my parents brought back some old memories. In that sense it made me more ready to go home. And yet I got a touch of what reentry will be like for me: very "American" comments, actions that seem to go against the way of life I have assimilated myself into. Not that it's anything against my family (I love you guys!) but I have lived in another culture for the last 7 months, and now face the reverse culture shock of my own country and a readjustment to being surrounded by my own countrymen. Very common American attitudes and ways of life now seem strange after trying so hard to delve deep into my host country's mannerisms and customs.
So now I face 19 more days (I'll be home on the 28th, by the way) of mental preparation. To be quite honest I am perfectly terrified of reentering into my own country and have days when I don't want to do it at all. I would ask for your prayers as I anticipate this change and the transition into college in the fall. There are also the more immediate hardships of goodbyes here in Colombia and the final goodbye to the team in Chicago. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated!
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