Drowning in Choice

Blueberry picking!

“How is it being back in the States?!” This is the most common question we’ve gotten from the people we meet. Lots of people ask assuming that is must be amazing, all positive— who would be anything but happy by coming back to the developed world after 3+ years living in the developing world. Others ask with a tone that tells us that they realize that it might be difficult, that transitioning back to the States after years away might be hard.

They call it “reverse culture shock” when you have culture shock coming back to your home country— you’ve been gone long enough that you have a new normal, so your home country feels strange and not completely comfortable anymore.

A lot of the differences have gotten easier over time.  We expect them and so are better prepared for them.  But one difference we continue to struggle with is all the choice. On the islands when a product arrives on the islands, it is often only in one variety— one brand, one flavor. So whether it is shampoo/conditioner, jam, chips, a candy bar or something else, we’re usually just excited to find things that we like on the islands at all. In the situations where multiple versions do make it to the islands, usually price limits the actual choice to 2-3 reasonable options at most.

Not so in the States— here there are whole aisles devoted to one product.

Blueberry pie is why we needed vanilla ice cream!

My task was simple. Go to the store and buy some vanilla ice cream. I knew that the choices would be overwhelming, so I had a plan. I’d just go for the brand on sale that week and get the vanilla. I wouldn’t have to even look at all the countless different brands— on-sale brand, vanilla. It would be easy. I was in the ice cream aisle. I saw the sale tags. The on-sale stuff had been rummaged through and the flavors were mixed up, but still on task—one ice cream brand, on sale.  I just need to find the vanilla.  finally I spotted it: French Vanilla. “Great!” I thought. I started to open the freezer door when my eye caught a container of “Vanilla Bean.”  Same sale, same brand. I gave a sigh and was about to contemplate my choice when my eye caught yet another container,  this said “Homemade Vanilla”. Same brand, same sale.  Right behind it was another container that said “Vanilla”. Same…you get the idea. “Why on earth does one brand need 4 different types of vanilla ice cream!” I knew deep inside that the American answer would point me to the subtle differences of French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean and Homemade Vanilla. But the subtlety was what was overwhelming me— I don’t have opinions about these subtle differences anymore— on the islands it is the occasional tub of freezer-burned ice cream or no ice cream at all. I grabbed the generic-sounding “Vanilla” and got out of the ice cream aisle before I had a chance to second-guess the decision.

Rather than getting down on the culture that calls for 4+ versions of vanilla ice cream, I thought of the conversation I had earlier that day with my 8 yr old daughter. We were passing a farm sign that listed the 3 varieties of apples that were already in season. I was explaining that this was only the beginning— that lots of different varieties of apples would ripen in the coming months. “America has a lot of apples!” was the conclusion. I immediately pointed it back to the islands. The islands have tons of different types of bananas, each with a different name, but there is only one name for apple on the islands (and it’s French) because apples don’t grow there. In contrast Americans generally have only one word for yellow bananas. We gain lots of subtlety with things that we know well, like Arctic peoples having tons of different words for “snow”.

Starting 3rd and 1st grades!

As you might have guessed there is no native word for ice cream on the islands, they just use the French. Subtleties of ice cream flavors would be lost on them and are only coming back to us. So, you’ll have to give us time before you ask us our favorite type of vanilla ice cream.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Thank you for your prayers.  Our travel back to the East Coast was easy and uneventful.  Our kids are doing well and we are already feeling a bit more “settled” knowing that we don’t have any big trips to make for more than a month.  Our youngest seems to be doing better too.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
We’ve started homeschool for the kids.  Pray that they would be ready and willing to learn and that we would teach well.  Pray for all the kids and families on the islands as school won’t start for awhile and kids are often left with nothing to do. Although Megan’s back has been doing very well for a long time now, she moved wrong this week and has been in a lot of pain since.  Pray that with exercise and rest her back would get healthy again. We're still trying to get our calendar fixed-- pray for clear decisions and a firming up of our schedule.