lesson learned
I guess sharing my discouragement and sadness was a mistake judging by the responses I’ve gotten. Let me clear some things up right now.
- I am not so despondent I’m going to jump off the roof of my apartment building.
- I am not angry at hubby for bringing me here.
- I will not demand we go home now.
- I don’t hate it here.
- I will be fine.
Please stop freaking out everyone. Only positive, upbeat posts from me from now on, ok?
May 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I’m still praying for you. Adjustments are HARD.
To save you from having to search my comments, I’ll give you the book recommendation here :-). I like all of Sally Clarkson’s books, but I think that the Ministry of Motherhood was the most inspiring/revolutionary in my life.
Carla
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I love the anti-spam words you get to use with this service. My word was peace. How cool. If it were Blogger, the word would be flqvwvxxzqup or something similar.
I know you are sad so many families are leaving - I would be curled in a ball, screaming, “NOOOOOOOOOOO” but I hope I never made you feel bad about what you wrote.
I think this journey you are is amazing and the things your family will learn are immeasurable. I love to learn through the things you do — you’re like our long distance tutor
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I can verify that you are doing great. Adjusting and going through the stages of culture shock but coming on the adjusted side of things.
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:07 am
{{{Deanne}}}
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:59 pm
ok keep sharing from your heart because I need to hear it…black soot every where and as one person put it we live in a cage.. 3 locks to get into our apartment and they are all to stay locked! I’m a country girl and this is culture shock where’s the hunnymoon?
May 4th, 2008 at 9:21 am
We’ll just keep on praying anyway!
But glad to hear you’re not doing any cliff diving! 
May 4th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Wait.. what did I miss? Sheesh… you take like 6 months off from blogging and the ONE WEEK I am slow at checking on you… you go and learn a lesson?
Well, whatever it was I am happy to hear you aren’t ready to jump. Although I am sad to hear you are not demanding to be brought back to the states. Guess I need to be praying a tad harder, huh? (kidding, folks! No hate mail, please.)
May 5th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Surfed in from Keer’s. . .
And. . . Whatever. Whatever! (That’s to those who are reacting negatively to your transparency and real experiences and feelings and struggles.)
Cross-cultural transitions are no walk in the park. They are hard–though have their exciting times. They are lonely–even though you meet wonderful people. The goodbyes are hard–harder than when in the states. And then. . . if/when you move again. . . even with kids and family excited, everyone still misses the way things were done “there.”
I’m sure you’ve heard of the enjoyment/endurance paradox that is part and parcel of acculturation. You enjoy it, you endure it. Sometimes in the same moment.
Praying for you this week.
(From someone who is back in Florida after living in Ukraine.)