From One World to Another

Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia

Yes, it is on the same planet, but on Monday morning we will begin our journey back to another world...to Choma, Zambia.  We are looking forward to getting back to Zambia and our friends there, even if only for a short time.

Today, I got to spend time with two close friends.  We took a short road trip to this big farm (that sells painted pottery and enamel-ware, among many other things) with one of the coolest shops around.  The shop is immaculately decorated.  One of them asked, "Erin, is this weird for you, being here, with all this around you?" (referring to all the beautiful dishes, pictures, ornaments).  "It's not weird," I replied, "just different.  Zambia and the US are 2 different worlds."

Reflecting back on that statement, I feel like, in some respect that is true.  Zambia and the US are different. The cultures are different, the way you greet people is different, the opportunities and resources available are different.  But, in some respects, they are the same.  

They are filled with people finding their way in life, people who need to be loved and feel valued.  People who struggle, who lose jobs. People who want the best for their children, who work hard so that the next generation can grow up healthy.

We love both worlds and will now take pieces of both with us wherever we go.

Bloomfield, NY

Adjustments

We have been in New York for two weeks.  It has been exciting, strange and exhausting.  For the first three or four days, I would wake up at 4am, slightly disoriented.  The first day, I looked around for the mosquito net wondering if we put it down or if we got attacked all night!  Then, I remembered where we were.  No net needed.

We have been doing lots of waiting, on tests, on doctors appointments, on more tests.  In the meantime, I have been helping Debbie decorate for fall, spending time with family and friends and trying out a zillion new recipes.  I am actually becoming quite knowledgable in all things cooking. I have even learned how to make cheesecake.

All the cooking and baking means lots of running around to pick up groceries.  My first trip to Wegmans (cue the heavenly music), was fun and overwhelming.  It was 5am, so there really was not anyone else there...what crazy person is at the grocery at 5am?  I walked around in awe at the meat section, at all the different fruits and vegetables, at the massive amounts of cereal, kleenex boxes galore and the HUGE selection of coffee.  I spent a good 10 minutes just picking out what kind of coffee I wanted to take home...pretty sure the man stocking the shelves thought I was crazy as I picked up and put down just about every box of k-cup coffee in the aisle.

Of course, we have also been through the drive thru...just a couple of times, to pick up coffee or ice cream.  We have been ingrained in Zambia to pass ONLY with your right hand.  You pass with your right out of respect. That is pretty much impossible going through a drive through. Passing with my left hand seems awkward unnatural now.  

It's strange the adjustments we have had to make the past couple of weeks.  The little things we have had to get used to all over again.  New habits are much easier to form than one might think.

Home

If you have heard rumblings, yes, we are currently in New York.  It was time to come home and get Jon well again!  We have been here for a little over a week and are hoping to get some answers about what is going on soon.  Then, we will be on our way to Choma, back to our home there.  We miss our friends in Choma and the beautiful children down the road...and are loving being around our family here at the same time.  It is a strange mixture of feelings as we adjust to life in NY again for a short time.