You may be right

Have you ever lived overseas? How about worked with a different culture? We aren't overseas right now but today it feels like we are. 

When I was overseas I felt like I would go through phases. At first you have the honeymoon phase- everything is new and wonderful and for us that meant southern drawls and incorrect sentences sounded humorous. 

Then you begin to enter into the second phase where the newness wears off and things just 'are', things aren't exactly normal but neither are they so shockingly strange and new; for us that meant we found jobs we liked and churches we found at home in and began to create routines. 

The third stage begins to dip or turn ,or however you'd like to view it. Things aren't new anymore but they aren't really normal either. You begin to think there might be something wrong with the way things are happening or rather aren't happening. You begin to get frustrated at the small things like the lack of recycling and the big things like the social injustices happening all around you. You begin to challenge your thoughts and actions and suddenly the things you thought were very okay in stage two aren't really okay at all. You begin to tap into some serious frustration. 

I think stage 4 and 5 are better (we'll let you know), sprinkled with acceptance and change and all those good feelings but that is not today. I do, however, feel comforted by the fact that I am able to notice these phases happening  in our home right now, or rather in us as we live out life in this different culture. 

Do you know that Billy Joel Song "You may be right"? I can't say that all of the lyrics apply to our life today but when I got home from work today all that was in my head was the chorus where Billy sings "you may be wrong for all I know but you may be right". So fitting. I'm pretty sure some of what we're seeing isn't right but I may be wrong. 

On a positive note Spring is officially here; the trees are blooming and who can stay frustrated when Spring is here?