Oh, America
Here you are in all your splendor. We, the peripatetic children of this land,
meet you once again after a long absence that brings both the clarity of a
fresh look and the bewilderment of being out-of-sync.
So here are some thoughts on the first weeks back.
Friendliness. This is one good rep that America has in the
world, and deserves. I noticed it as
soon as we boarded the United flight in Amsterdam. Our stewardess served our meals with such
cheer, greeted us with such warmth. The
Atlanta airport, even in immigration, exuded can-do hearty welcome. Strangers smiled at us. And I noticed that
most of this good will came from African-Americans (we landed in the South),
which is remarkable given the state of tension and injustice we are reading
about.
Rural life. We are based this year in rural West
Virginia, and an extension of the point above is the friendliness of the
Baptist itinerant pastor down the road recalling stories from MY childhood in
his sermon as we were spotted in the pew, and insisting we stay for the potluck
lunch, held in tension with the natural suspicion of mountain folk. Sago is for me a soul-anchor of the familiar,
the birthplace of my ancestors, the site of many of the best memories of my
childhood. It is also a foreign land,
and I know more about rural Bundibugyo than rural West Virginia at this point,
but I’m learning. We have had our neighbors for lunch, and had long conversations with the mail-carrier, the UPS man, the Southern-states gas tank trucker, the guys who maintain the electric right-of-way, the water co-op . . it's small-town and wonderful.
Recycling. Recycling is big. The rules are obscure and local. In our new home we can separate plastic,
cardboard, paper, cans, and garbage. But
there’s no place for glass. Who knew
something like trash could come with such a heavy set of expectations? If you want to be helpful in someone’s home,
you have to ask for directions.
Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes are IN. And personally I think sweet potato fries are
a triumph of the 21rst century. I could
live on them.
Ice. I don’t think I’ve seen a fridge yet, besides
our own, that doesn’t dispense ice right from the door. In the short forays into the heat between
air-conditioned car and air-conditioned building, we survive on ice. Everyone has huge cups with straws. There is a mass fear of dehydration; a drink
must be always within arm’s reach, and tap water is suspect. Vitamins, flavors, fizz, packaging all make
the water special. And it’s gluten-free. I am not making this up, water is labeled as
such.
The doggy aisle. Throwing this one in for fun . .We stopped in
REI and were perplexed by this display.
Then realized it is rain coats and winter boots. For DOGS.
The Moral Majority. To me this conjured images of self-righteous
politically-conservative so-called Christians, desperately laying claim to
their birthright of dominating the culture.
For some good causes like speaking for the unborn, but mostly not really
Jesus’ agenda of justice and mercy so much as protecting privilege. A democracy only stays Christian in value if
the majority of people agree, and in America the mainstream has flowed on. We landed in the midst of major shifts in
marriage legality for same-sex partners, controversy over the use of fetal
tissue obtained from Planned Parenthood, and shocked horror over the killing of
Cecil the lion. The media buzzed with
opinions. We just listened. Not so much to who is right and who is wrong,
but to the Moral-Majority tone of the discourse. Ever since the Puritans pushed out the
American Indians, our tone of voice hasn’t changed. Scathing shame heaped on those who step out
of line, which most recently would be a dentist who paid for a hunting permit,
or anything the majority finds deviant or unacceptable. Yesterday’s Salem Witch trials are today’s
Twitter explosions.
Exhaustion. This is a tired country. If you come at life with the same passion for
right and wrong as our heritage embraced, but with no agreed upon text to draw
the lines, life becomes a very tiring process of figuring out what to be
incensed about. When everything is up
for grabs, when there are no givens, it takes a lot of energy to organize a
life. Perhaps the college/20’s crowd
feels this most acutely, leaving whatever rules their home or high school
enforced and (except for Caleb) entering institutions that pride themselves
upon anything-goes, then finding out the hard way it doesn’t.
Violence. The friendliest nation, and the most armed
one. What an American paradox. We have actually seen people carrying guns in
the grocery store. Yesterday a
disgruntled employee shot a reporter and cameraman from his former station, on
the air, not far from us. Increasingly,
the friction of human life sparks into fatality. We have lived overseas with rebels, war,
terrorism, but those countries have clear lines between the illegal gun-toting
bad guys and the rest of the citizens.
In America, anyone can be armed and dangerous.
Generosity. We are here, after all, to thank our
supporters, who do not fall into that strident shame-flinging social media
frenzy, nor the gun-toting vigilantes.
American individuals give, and give, to people they have never met. They are willing to sacrifice, and we are
thankful.
Roads. Enough said. The roads are awesome.
Safety. Yes, America is still safety-obsessed and
risk-averse, and the culture of blame and liability drives a lot of our behavior. Some warnings are helpful. Some are laughable. Don’t drop this toaster on your toe. Don’t try to eat this packaging. On the other hand, Julia's defunct phone slipped in under warranty so we got a free new one at the Apple store. Yeah.
Absurdity. To end on a lighter note, this is my favorite
so far. The microwavable potato. As if all potatoes are not microwavable, now
you can buy them individually wrapped in plastic.
5 comments:
I love you guys. Welcome to the crazy! I'm still in culture shock in the South West where the cultural rules are way different than anywhere I've lived. The hospitality rules and expectations are the ones (naturally) that rub me the most and that I have a heard time wrapping my brain around. I'm praying for your transition to remain open-handed, curious, and observing, and that the lord protects you from some of the more ugly sides of contemporary america that you are seeing glimpses of...
well said! I think you hit on everything that stresses me out and I haven't left the country in 10 years! So glad you have a home base. What a nice thing that must be. still praying for all of you... your braids are awesome... :)
Blessings and good wishes to you all in your new homes. I am praying that you have a wonderful year in West Virginia--and elsewhere on visits. May you all flourish in your new environment, which indeed is challenging! Judy in HMB
Fabulous, Jennifer. Praying as you settle in to this new existence, in your lovely little farmhouse!
-Larissa W
I remember a bumper sticker a few years ago that said, "The Moral Majority is neither". Praying for a good HMA for you.
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