Well, we arrived back in Kamloops this afternoon. Our flight was uneventful - PTL! - and we even got a free upgrade to the emergency row, so that was a bonus. We spent the night at Tom and Sandy Martin's place and they let us use their van to drive home with all our luggage. I think we had around 550lbs of luggage - 6 large duffles and 6 pieces of carry-on!
It is a strange thing to come home. It's wonderful to see family and friends and catch up with those we've been apart from, but it is hard to just slip into old routines, as they just don't seem to fit anymore.
We were only in our basement suite for 5 weeks prior to leaving for Guatemala in February and then another 4 weeks in August - a total of 9 weeks. I wandered around the kitchen tonight as I prepared supper and I didn't know where anything was. It was almost as if I was in a stranger's home. Home for us right now seems more like the house we left behind in Tactic, than our basement suite in Kamloops.
We went to Super Store this afternoon to pick up a few things. Ever since Super Store opened in Kamloops, it is where I have done the majority of my grocery shopping. I cannot count the number of times I have been in the store. Today, although, was different. Rocky, Arryn and I wandered up and down the aisles not really knowing what we were supposed to get. I kept repeating the most necessary items in my head, so I wouldn't get overwhelmed and forget. We felt like fish out of water. We hardly said a word to each other and when we saw the total for our 5 bags of food, we gasped! $137! How could we be so extravagant to spend that much on a few small bags of groceries?
It is interesting how your point of reference changes when you've been living in a different culture for an extended period of time. This is called reverse culture shock. When you've been away, even for a short time, but more so for longer periods of time, you no longer feel like you fit into your home culture. Everything seems strange and foreign and it is a challenge to feel like you belong.
I suppose that is okay. Les was saying, the night before we left, that we really aren't supposed to feel like we belong in our culture because our home is with the Lord, not here on the earth. So perhaps this taste of reverse culture shock / re-entry is a good thing in the bigger picture. "Do not be conformed by the patters of this world..."
Thank you for all of your support and prayers. We are so blessed to have people in our lives who care about us and support us. We have much to do over the next little while and many decisions to make, so we ask for your prayers. We hope to catch up with many of you over the next few weeks!
Blessings,
Karren and Rocky
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