One Year Here

So, on April 17, it was official -- I have been overseas for 1 year. In one way, the time has flown by, but as I think about my home, family, and friends in the States, it feels like it has been a lot longer since I have seen them. Reflecting on where I am now and where I was a little over a year ago, I want to share a list of things I miss about my home in the States and things I am grateful for here:

Things I miss about my home in America:
1) Of course, my family and friends...how could I not?!
2) Holidays -- I have never been much of a holiday person, but now that I live in a country that does not celebrate American holidays, I really miss it. And not being able to spend the holidays with my family is hard.
3) QUIET!!! I miss being able to sit at home, in the country, and hear the cows or ONE car drive past, sleeping at night and not hearing fireworks going off. Right now, I can hear the pigeon trainer that lives across from us blowing his whistle, people yelling outside in a language I don't understand, construction work, and traffic honking. It's just really hard to get away from the noise here.
4) Country...pastures...country roads...houses...and not buildings, city roads, stores, buildings, buildings, buildings! And of course the 3.5 million people that live in a too-small city.
5) Driving a car -- walking everywhere is a great way to stay in shape here, especially after eating the tasty, oily food here, but it's exhausting, so taking the bus (or taxi -- more expensive) is the only other alternative. But with the traffic situation here, you might as well just walk.
6) My former jobs -- working at camp and school. How I miss washing dishes, serving people, cleaning, helping in the office at camp, and my Deaf students at school that I spent 2 years teaching and interpreting for.
7) Being part of a fellowship, being together with like-minded people, learning about our wonderful Father and His Word in a SS class with others like me.
8) Blending in -- not being one of the 1 of 50 foreigners in a city of 3.5 million, not being stared at every time I leave my house.
9) Not having to wash my fruits and veggies with soap so we don't get giardia!
10) Clean water!!! Drinking the water here is a big no-no.

But, surprisingly as it may seem, there are things that I am grateful for here that I can't get in America:
1) Seeing with my eyes and experiencing life in a poor(er) country. Even though this country is booming, it still has some very poor areas, one in which I live in. Many people only see this stuff in magazines, but I get to experience it with my own eyes, everyday.
2) Buying fruits and vegetables penny on the dollar! They are so cheap here compared to back at home. And we can eat out at a tasty little fast food place for $2 (for both of us) as well as a nice restaurant for $10 or less (again, both of us)!
3) Learning to appreciate the good things in life. Coming to a realization of things I took for granted back at home and things I hope I never take for granted again.
4) Street foods!!! The safe kinds, of course :) Steamed breads, filled steamed breads (with sweet or veggie fillings), cooked sweet potatoes -- those are my three favorites. They make great snacks.
5) Lessons learned -- things I could never have learned back home. I have learned more about myself, good and bad. I've learned my limitations, my weaknesses, that I am NOT one that can live in a mud hut, and that learning a spoken language with tones is probably the hardest thing in the world for me to do! I've learned that living here can make my marriage stronger or fall apart miserable and that I am responsible for which one happens.

It may seem that the first list way outweighs the second, but I think learning more about myself and more about the world outweighs what I miss about home...at least for the time being. I know that when I return home, it will be the most amazing feeling, one that I would never have experienced if I didn't decide to be part of this journey. It's a difficult, but needed, journey.