Home Again Home Again Jiggidy Jog

I have now been home for one week. What a wonderful word and concept: home. A place that is more than a building where you live, but rather a place where one can relax, surrounded by those you love, a place of comfort and safety among other things. This past week has been a busy one as spring semester at Bridgewater College has started and I have attempted to do a bit of settling in after being abroad for over 6 months. Some people ask me if I am experiencing culture shock. I've decided that I prefer to think that I am experiencing more of a heightened awareness rather than culture shock. Really I think culture shock is simply a heightened awareness but I like the connotations of heightened awareness over those of culture shock. Since being back my awareness of the differences between cultures and varying lifestyles has increased. Here are a couple of the differences I have noted this past week:

-Transportation to and from school. In Ecuador I had to catch 2 buses each morning and travel about 40 minutes to get to school. Here in Virginia I jump in the truck and drive 2 miles.

-There is snow here... and we are not on top of a volcano! In Ecuador about the only place you find snow is on top of the volcanoes.

-I can see people's front doors here in Virginia. Particularly since I lived in the middle of a big city in Ecuador, there were gates and razor wire and broken glass on top of walls to keep robbers out of their houses.

-I hear and speak a lot less Spanish here! (go figure... I am not in a Spanish speaking country anymore!)

-The other night I had soup for supper. In Ecuador soup was the first course of most suppers to be followed by rice, chicken, and some kind of salad.

-I can not buy bananas for 5 cents each or mandarins 10 cents a piece here in Virginia.

-I do not need to greet everyone in the room when I enter a place and I certainly don't need to give them each a hug and a kiss. In fact if I did greet everyone in this manner I would most likely receive some strange looks!

I point out these things because at least for me this past week has been full of these little observations. These things don't mean that Ecuador is bad or good or that the United States is bad or good, they are simply two different places. Now don't get me wrong there are things that I am now more aware of both in the states and in Ecuador that bother me more now than before I left 6 months ago. However, for me the thing that stands out the most are the little reminders of how much I love this place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the United States of America which I call home, as well as all the little daily reminders of the things and places and people that I dearly miss in Ecuador.

Feliz Navidad un Poco Tarde!

It has only been a mere two weeks since I left Ecuador but oh what a two weeks! After a tearful goodbye at the Airport in Quito I made my way to Lima, Peru where I spent the night in the airport for the second time (I slept there on my way to Cusco before I went to Ecuador). My flight ended up being delayed for a couple hours and I found myself having fleeting concerns as to whether Dano and Tara would still be at the airport to greet me when I arrived in Cusco. My worries were needless as I had no problem spotting Dano and Tara as I entered the “meet and greet” part of the airport in Cusco.

The next part of my adventure came as I promptly got sick and spent the next several days in bed with

a fever. I was very grateful for the days of rest in Cusco where we had nothing planned. In between my many naps we made brief excursions to visit some friends I had made last time I was in Cusco, worship at a Mennonite Church in Cusco, visit some markets, see the famous 12 cornered stone, and make some Christmas Cookies.

Even though this Christmas Dano, Tara and I found ourselves far away from our home and familiar Christmas traditions and celebrations, we found ways to celebrate where we were. We enjoyed near constant Christmas music playing on my computer as well as setting up a Nativity in our hostal. I bought a nativity in Quito, which has been accompanying us on our journey. Then on December 21 we left Cusco at 4:45 am to begin hiking the Salkantay trail that concluded with us arriving at Machu Pichu on Christmas Day.

Along the way I found myself going back and forth between marveling at the incredible landscape surrounding us, and feeling like I was not going to make it all the way to Machu Pichu. Dano and Tara took good care of me and stuck with me as I coughed my way through the mountains. Many times on this treck I found myself coming once again to Isaiah 33:2

Lord, have mercy on us, we long for you! Be our strength each morning, our salvation in times of anguish!

As I woke up feeling sick and in pain I would repeat this cry to the Lord many times and he listened and helped me not only continue to put one foot in front of the other but also enjoy the places we were hiking through. On Christmas day we summated Machu Pichu and continued on to the top of Waynu Picchu were we once again set up our Nativity, sang Christmas carols, read the Christmas story from Luke 2 and enjoyed our lunch of avacado sandwiches and a mango. After spending the day at Machu Picchu we went to Aguas Calientes at the foot of the mountain where we enjoyed the hot springs there and had a chance to skype with the rest of our immediate family back in the states. Then we started to wander the streets looking for a place to enjoy Christmas Dinner. We finally settled on a place that served both Pizza and Mexican for decent prices. We were particularly excited when the owners began stoking the little fire in the pot-bellied stove beside our table. We really enjoyed both watching them bake our pizza in the stove and the wonderful heat that helped warm us on a chilly night!

Not exactly your typical Christmas. There were many times that I found myself thinking of family far away and thinking about where I would be if I was in the states right then. I found myself missing the traditions and family near at hand and the food and all the things that I know as familiar and comfortable and Christmasy. At the same time I was reminded of the reality of the first christmas. Mary and Joseph went on a journey to Bethlehem for the census, walking and riding a smelly donkey (I know they smell… they accompanied us on the Salkantay trail!) Then they arrive to a town and search for a room… a place out of the wind and cold, a place to rest. I know I have spent some time these past weeks walking around cities looking for a hostal that was not full although I have not yet had to sleep in a stable! Then, in this place far away from the familiar, far away from family Jesus was born. He was born to ultimately die and save me from eternal death, born to be my strength when I think I can’t go one more step. What a Christmas!

The last couple days we have spent on Lake Titicaca visiting the floating Islands and Isla del Sol or Island of the Sun. From here our journey will continue to La Paz, Bolivia, Panama City, Panama, and in less then a week we will be meeting my parents and grandparents Heatwole in Costa Rica!