The One Year Mark

As of November, I have been in Namibia for one year! Time is such a strange concept out here that it is somewhat difficult to believe that a whole year has gone by. I am usually very cut-off from the outside world and know little beyond the happenings of this small country. I really have no idea what is going on back home – the politics, latest bits of Hollywood gossip, scientific breakthroughs, milestones in the lives of friends and family members, movies made or new products sold. Its been over a year since I swam laps in a pool, drove a car, ate real ice cream, saw a play, went to a Mexican restaurant, bought something made by Hershey’s, or took a bath (showers only, but I’m grateful to have even that!).

Prior to this year, the longest time I’ve spent living outside the US was about six months. I don’t consider myself to be anti-American but there have been times when I did not think fondly about certain aspects of my culture and homeland. The year I spent studying abroad and traveling in Europe highlighted some of those features for me. But this past year has done just the opposite – it has highlighted aspects of American culture that I previously took for granted. Living in a completely foreign environment for a year has caused me to think more about the lifestyle that I left behind. And quite to my surprise, I have discovered that there are a tremendous number of things I miss about living in America, an extraordinary number of things that I once failed to appreciate. One of the things that I am most grateful for in regards to my year of service here has been its ability to increase my respect for my own culture.