July 7th
At the beginning of June at dinner someone asked me what I would miss most about Wamena and what I would miss least. It took me a while to respond, not because I won’t miss it but because I hadn’t yet thought about it. My response at the time was an easy on the spot answer – the weather. Which I will miss; perfect – cool at night, warm during the day. But there is so much more.
I will miss the simple, regularity of the life I led there. I will miss the small town life – walking to the market, running into people I know. I will miss Rahel’s friendship and insights on Papuan life – learning about “tradisi”. I will miss talking to and learning from Heidy. I will miss my morning runs with the beautiful skies, followed by coffee and quiet time. I will miss the International Fellowship ladies I had begun to get to know. I will miss tackling the challenge of the AIDS and health issues there. I will miss the visits to Tolikara and the joys of meeting the Papuans there. I will miss going to the markets and buying fresh fruit and trying new foods.
What I won’t miss…people (men) calling out when I walk, always standing out, the frustrations of language and cultural barriers to relationships. But maybe a better way to put it – what I am looking forward to most in going home: relationships with friends and family and the comfort of knowing what is going on around me.
July 13th
I wrote about the things I would miss and was looking forward to at the airport in Jakarta. Then it was – I WILL miss, now it is I DO miss, but the list remains pretty much the same. It has been wonderful to be back with my family, but I do miss all those things still. Everyone keeps asking me if I am having culture shock coming back. After 48 hours of travel it has taken me a little while to get over the jet lag, still getting over it. And trying to settle down and figure things out. But culture shock, not too much yet.
I don’t really like the word shock though. The first time I traveled to and returned from Africa it was more of a “shock”. But that seems to imply something big, exciting, strong feelings. This whole trip never had that “shock” experience though. While I felt called, prepared, had new experiences, it feels as though it has all just happened, just the next thing in life.
And that isn’t to say I haven’t experienced the transitions of living in another culture and returning, I just wouldn’t exactly call it shock. Yet both coming and going were gradual. I didn’t just all of the sudden transplant into Wamena. It was a little bit at a time. And it has been the same coming back, a gradual return to Western life.
First I went to Bali, so still Indonesia/Asian culture, but developed and with many Western tourists. Then to Singapore, even more developed and like a Western city, but also still Asia. Then a 10 hour layover in Germany. I suppose you could say I had my real culture “shock” moment here. But maybe it is just a cultural observation.
In Indonesia when you get on a flight, or line up anywhere, it is a massive push and shove to get through. So not what I expected in an Asian culture at first, but I had gotten used to that, even if I didn’t like it. Well Westerner’s have their own form of push and shove, with a façade of order. Rather than push and shove, they lined up to board the flight from Germany to Chicago. But it still ended up a push and shove because they call you by rows to board and you have to push and shove through the line when your row is called. So what’s the difference??
After Wamena, but before my slow return to the US, I traveled a bit with my Dad. It was awesome to be able to show him what I was doing the last 5 months in Wamena, and just plain fun to travel around a bit with him. We spent some time at the beach snorkeling, then climbed a mountain, and did a little bit more snorkeling our last day. Nice time to relax, at least mentally since snorkeling and climbing are not quite physically relaxing:)
Now that I am home and mostly over jet lag, I need to take some time to process and begin to move forward. This internship was the last part of my grad program, so as soon as I finish all the little details – paperwork, poster session, etc, I am done. So the big question, which everyone has already started asking me – is what’s next? And I don’t know!
As much as I would love to have the what’s next answered already, I am trusting in God and his timing, that he does have something for me; another new, wonderful, and challenging adventure. I am going to spend some of my time now working on that – applying for jobs and such. But I am also going to enjoy spending time catching up with my friends and family, in NH, Boston, and MN.
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