I must have
been looking pretty rough after my flight to Dallas since the man at security
after customs asked me if I just woke up. It felt great to be back on American
soil, but I couldn’t help being annoyed. The workers in security were so rude and impatient! Coming
off of an international flight there were many people that weren’t quite used
to the US security and didn’t speak a lot of English. The workers had no
patience, rolled their eyes and weren’t even polite when telling people to do
things differently. I know people have bad days and security is a serious
issue, but I feel like they could be a little bit nicer since they’re some of
the first Americans people see when coming into our country. But, enough about
that…After getting to my gate for my flight to Kansas City I primped in the
bathroom and felt SOOO much better for it. I might have gotten some weird looks
after changing my clothes, washing my face, brushing my teeth and yes, even
curling my hair, but being able to feel somewhat clean after about 24 hours of
traveling was more than worth it.
I was
surprised at how normal being back felt. During my trip the weirdest I felt was
when I was traveling and the moment right before stepping off the plane in
Kansas City waiting to see my mom and Matt (he got in about 30 minutes before I
did). I guess the best way to describe my overall reaction to being home would
be that I just felt comfortable. I’m not sure if my lack of culture shock upon re-entry means that I’m
just that good at adjusting or more likely if it means that I didn’t let myself
fully take in the Paraguayan culture during the past three months and didn’t
lose enough of my Americanness to feel weird when I returned. Funny enough, the
thing that really made me realize I wasn’t in South America the most was just
going to the bathroom. In most places in South America you throw your toilet
paper away rather than flushing and I caught myself more than once forgetting.
Seth and
Lisa’s wedding was gorgeous! It was at St. Mary the Virgin in Fulton, MO (a
stone church that’s part of the Winston Churchill museum and was reconstructed
from pieces of an old church in London that was destroyed during bombings) and
the reception at a winery outside of Jefferson City. It was such a happy
occasion with close friends and family. Seeing my little brother with a ring on
that finger felt a little weird, but I’m excited to officially welcome Lisa
into the Smith family. After all, for
now, we are the only true Smith women (meaning we have the last name) left.
While at
home, I also got to see Seth’s commissioning as an officer in the U.S. Air
Force, play with Oliver, meet up with friends, meet up with Matt’s family, attend
Mass and the adult faith group at St. Mary’s in Higginsville, stock up on my
things to bring back to Paraguay (candy, hand sanitizer and Cheeze Its), get
children’s clothes to bring back, and I got to use some of my Paraguayan
souvenirs—my picnic basket and thermos—for two great picnics at City Lake with
Matt. Being around so many of my favorite people was wonderful and just what I
needed—no matter how hard it made leaving again. As expected, there were quite a few tears
on Sunday saying goodbye to the siblings and grandparents and on
Wednesday saying goodbye to Mom, Dad and Matt.
To help
stifle my tears at the airport though, I was given quite the distraction. On the way to
Missouri, I flew from Asuncion, Paraguay to Cuidad del Este, Paraguay, to Sao
Paulo, Brazil, to Dallas, TX to Kansas City. On my way back I was supposed to
do almost the same trip in reverse. When I got to MCI in Kansas City what a surprise when I tried to check in. Apparently a stop was
added between Sao Paulo and Asuncion in another city in Brazil after we booked
the flight. Unfortunately to travel to any Brazilian airports besides Sao
Paulo or Rio de Janeiro American citizens need a visa (which I don’t have). I
was lucky enough to have great service at American Airlines and the two ladies
behind the check in counter got my flights switched to go to Buenos Aires,
Argentina and then Asunción bypassing Brazil and solving my visa problem. Proof you do need to get to the airport 2 hours early for international flights :).
Another
surprise at the KC airport was having a friend on my first flight. Our family
friend, Mark Heins, happened to be on the same flight as me to Dallas on his
way to Birmingham to help his daughter/my friend Whitney move to Washington DC.
Whitney volunteered as a missionary in China for a year and a half and was an
inspiration for me. Although our programs and experiences are
vastly different, having her and her family to talk to means so
much since they've been through the missionary experience.
When I arrived
in Asunción, I experienced the culture shock I was missing when I returned to
the US. After spending nearly 10 days of not speaking Spanish and being home
with my family the foreignness of Paraguay really set in. The airport was
crowded and having to put my Spanish to the test without having Caitlin’s help
was frustrating and overwhelming (I was this close to crying). But, I got a taxi, went to the bus station
and found a bus leaving for Encarnación in 40 minutes. It definitely wasn’t up
to the standards of my first bus to Asuncion, but for a cheaper price, the right
time and my level of tiredness it was perfect. Unfortunately it stopped at what
seemed like every little town along the way, which lengthened the journey from
5 hours to about 6; however, I was lucky enough to have two seats to myself for most of
the journey (minus when a teenage boy sat next to me and started hitting on me
and told me to give him my number even though I already told him I wasn’t
single. It’s times like those when I’m glad I don’t have a cell phone here!). From the bus terminal in Encarnación I took a
taxi to our house and walked in the door at around 1 a.m. A mere 38 hours after
I left my house in Concordia and I was back to my Paraguayan home!
 |
| On the bus with only a few hours left to go! |
I slept in
the next morning but went downstairs to help with lunch in the jardin. To see
the smiles on my kids’ faces when I snuck in the door was the best welcome home
present ever. And to make it even better, Nati—my favorite student—was back in
class! Goal for the next 6/7 months—more
immersion and making this experience part of my life rather than something I’m
doing while my “real” life is on pause, less internet/Facebook, more studying
Spanish and making the most of everyday I have left.
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