Angie Meets the U.S.

So, it turns out 24 hours/day of English is not necessarily Angie's cup of tea, but I bet she'd tell you driving a tennis ball, golf cart, or jet ski are pretty amazing, and maybe a in a few days she'll even tell you they're worth all English all the time! At least 10 days of it. This morning, we made it back to Bolivia with twice as many bags as we left with, a little tanner, a lot exhausted, and very spoiled by the love of the family and friends we were blessed to encounter.

Culture shock was not a huge problem. I guess for a growing mind that's yet to define "normal", everything is possible, just add airplanes and expressways to her ever broadening understanding of what the world holds. She rarely asked questions or made statements about the strange things she experienced, with a couple exceptions. The dishwasher, a machine I daydream about sometimes here in Bolivia, did not induce similar envy in Ange, but merely curiosity about just how lazy North Americans can be. She really couldn't understand the need for such a waste of space. And she was similarly confused by our visit to some friends in the nursing home, why do people live there instead of with their families? Well... kinda the same reason as the dishwasher; partly because we're kind of lazy, partly because we idolize efficiency.

English shock (if it's not a term I'm coining it) was pretty difficult though. The normally talkative, fairly independent, social butterfly became a magnet. When peeled away from me for any number of fun activities, or solely so I could have a conversation with other grown ups, she'd drift right back, and unfortunately not always in the best mood. However, before the trip that turned little Angie's world upside down, we'd had three weeks of almost perfection in the attitude and behavior departments. So, I pray that now as we adjust back into our version of normal we'll settle back into that sweet spot as well. And that next time we're in the States, probably a year from now, her English will be more than a whispered rehearsed response, and you will all get to know and love the confident beautiful person that you saw glimpses of all week.

"And we all ... are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord" -2 Corinthians 3:18