Lost in Translation

(Note: The picture of Marcos has nothing to do with the post... it's just to make you smile.)

We've been back a little more than a week now. How do I feel about being in Iowa? Here are a few contrasts I've noticed:

1) Iowa is cold. I'd forgotten just how cold, but after four years in climates ranging from 55 degrees to 85 degrees, these Iowa winds and temps are making me miss Colombia.

2) Sticker shock on some things. Some things are a lot more expensive here. We're paying twice as much for our two bedroom apartment as we paid for a three bedroom house in Chía. Eating out here is expensive! But some things are cheaper here, like cereal and pork.

3) A lot of things are easier here. The Qwest guy came to hook up our phone and did it in about 1 minute without even entering our apartment building. In Chía we struggled for almost two months to get that line installed. Here we have a dishwasher, hot water in our sinks, Clorox cleaning wipes, etc. Driving is a cinch here. I could probably go to sleep at the wheel and be safer here than driving in Bogotá or Cali with three Colombian coffees to keep me alert. One blessing has been a good-sized pothole in our parking lot here. It reminds us of Colombia.

4) The language. Although English is my native tongue, I have to admit that I like Spanish better. Maybe because it's a challenge and I have to keep working at it. Several times I've been tempted to answer people in Spanish, especially over the phone or in the supermarket.

5) Our church. Wow, talk about organized here! It seems that every ministry has leaders; people seem to arrive on time... we would like to see that happen in Cali in our new church plant. Obviously it takes time, but I think that starting well will help.

All in all, it should be a good year in Iowa. It's a bit of culture shock, but we're missionaries and that's part of the fun.