Life in the USA
We have a new and improved “add video” function on our blog now, so I’m going to give it a whirl while I’m in the land of fast internet. This clip was taken during a visit to a “Care Point” (feeding center for orphans) by a friend who visited back in August. It’s pretty cute, and worth whatever you have to go through to make it play!
Ellie and I have been in the States for nearly a month now, and have been enjoying time with friends and family and many little things unique to the US that we’ve been missing in Swaziland.
Here are a couple cute pics of Ellie enjoying life in the USA:
(LEFT: Ellie in her cave woman costume. RIGHT: First night home with the cousins at the Mexican restaurant!!! PTL for Mexican food!)
People ask us if we’re experiencing culture shock being back in the U.S. I wouldn’t really call it “shock”…more just “realizations”…
>>There are lots of times when I see a new product in the store I’ve never heard of (can someone tell me what an HD TV is?) , or I hear people talking about movies and TV shows I didn’t know existed.
>>What happens often, is that I realize there are lots of things that I’m just not used to any more, or have gotten used to doing a different way…like driving on the left side of the road, or the self swiping debit/credit card machines when you check out at a store (there’s actually lots of stores in Swaziland that have those, but I’ve yet to see one that actually functions).
>>Instead of saying “bathroom” or “restroom” in Swaziland, they just say “the toilet,” so yesterday I asked store manager if they had a “toilet I could use,” which I think sounds kind of funny here.
>>When you shake hands in Swaziland, it’s polite to hold your right elbow with your left hand while shaking, so I’ve been absent mindedly doing lots of that as well.
>>All the gas stations are full service in Swaziland, so the first time I had to pump my own gas, i just kind of stood and stared at things for a few minutes. The first time I tried to “pay at the pump” took me a couple of tries. 🙂
>>This one comes from walking around a lot with a 2 1/2 yr old, but do you realize that Dora the Explorer is everywhere in this country?! Ellie’s become a big Dora fan through DVD’s that have been sent to us in Swaziland, and she’s been thrilled to see Dora on everything from pillows, to shoes, to lamps, and even cans of Campbell’s soup. Seriously, next time you’re out and about, count how many different items you see Dora’s face on! That activity is extra fun when you’re with Ellie and she shouts out, “NOok! it’s Dorwaaaaaaaaa!!!!” eveytime there’s a citing.
We’ve been doing lots of traveling, which is tiring, but we’re thankful for the chance to share at several new churches. Today we make our third trip up to Minneapolis (about a 5 hr drive from my parent’s home in IA). Last wknd we were in Kansas City. After this weekend, most of our sharing/speaking will just be local here in Northwest, IA. Please pray for us as we continue to share in churches, and even at some schools. Pray that we’d give God-glorifying reports of what’s going on in Swaziland and that some new financial supporters would join our team!
I’ve been able to sell over 300 of the Swazi purses during our travels in the last month, and the ladies keep pumping them out while I’m here, so let me know if you’d like to help us sell some before Christmas!
That’s all for now!
