One year ago, we woke up sweating and a bit disoriented...because we had arrived in Tanzania and it was hot. Everything seemed so surreal at that point. The last week before we left was a blur of some of the most overwhelming days I hope I never experience again. I remember not even being able to think about what was coming in our lives, because I was sure we'd never get out of Minnesota with all that had to be done. I 
can't remember what we said to our kids, what we ate, or even really what we did. I do remember the absolute lowest point--Karen and I had weighed all of our bags that day and they all were fine. We were supposed to spend the night together swimming and playing at a hotel. Rosey was diligently touching up paint on our baseboards so the house would be ready for prospective renters, when Mark reweighed all the bags and found them to be 5-7 pounds overweight. I completely fell apart. The prospect of repacking 11 bags so they weighed exactly 50 pounds each (and what was I going to do with the extra stuff? If it was in those bags I really felt it was necessary!) Somehow I came out of some hysterical crying fit laying on a lounge at poolside while Rosey (and maybe Karen? or Mark?) repacked. It's terrible that I really can't remember what happened that last night in Minnesota, except to profess my undying gratitude for whoever took part in helping us get on our way. 
One year later I'm wondering if I've experienced anything so dramatic or stressful, and I think I'd have to say no (of course, I can't answer for Mark, who might say "heck, yeah!" as he shoulders much more of the tremendous workload). What we've come to realize is that we're home now. Oh, every day brings something to laugh or sigh or grit your teeth about, but for the most part, life here feels much less exotic and much more typical for our family. We understand that things that can be annoying or frustrating (especially when you're trying to do business) are also those things we've really come to appreciate (a slower pace of life, less rushing around madly on the weekends). If your meal doesn't come for an hour at a restaurant, then that's just more time to have another drink and keep talking. We've stopped talking about how things were "back home" because it makes no difference--we're here and living here means actually living here, not being here and then running aspects of life down because it somehow doesn't measure up. Best of all, while we definitely would not turn down a home visit, all of us continue to love to call Arusha "home" for now.
So...happy anniversary to us as we look forward to the challenges and blessings of our next year in Tanzania.
1 comment:
Oh, I do remember that night, too! Hadn't thought of it for quite a while. I think it was Rosey who actually worked the magic. Wow. A whole year. ONLY a year. Wow.
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