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Yesterday we chatted about all the things that have changed since we moved here. The girls were filling us in on all the growth and development in the areas surrounding our MN home.
Since we left huge stores and restaurants have popped up all over the place. In a matter of months the landscape has changed.
They also got us up to speed on the popular television shows and changes in programming. We have been here long enough that all the movies going to DVD are unfamiliar to us, as are most of the popular television shows. The face of pop-culture never stops evolving.
It is such a strange contrast to life here. Before moving, we were in Haiti a lot in 2002 and once in 2005. Nothing seems different to us. There is a new U.S. Embassy under construction and a few potholes were filled on Rt. National 1 heading out of Port. That's it.
The pace of change here is far too slow, and often non-existent. The pace in the States is mind-numbing. For us, the happy medium is most desirable. We're just not sure where we would find that nirvanic location.
Before we moved we were warned about the need for a "re-entry" program. We threw our heads back and laughed out loud at such an odd notion. WHY would we need help returning to our own culture?
That was then. We get what the warning was about now. To attempt to balance the reality of VAST prosperity with the reality of abject poverty is no small thing.
The girls were telling us how weird it was for them last week to be in restaurants and be served huge portions. They said it was difficult to see so much food going to waste. You don't throw food away here. Ever. Even if food gets rotten, it goes to the pigs and goats.
We don't spend a lot of time wasting our energy feeling guilty for being blessed. It would be silly to feel bad for being Americans. It is not silly to be thankful. We are immeasurably blessed.We are VERY thankful.
