Saturday, June 02, 2007
I wrote a poem about my house last week. I am not going to post here because I think it could possibly be read it as a long list of complaints, and really I love my house and am very comfortable here. However, I don’t think a visitor would necessarily be comfortable, because in order to get along well with my house you have to know her tricks. For example, if you leave the fridge plugged in for more than 7 hours on a chilly day, it will freeze your lettuce. And if the day is really cold, I wouldn’t leave it more than 4. I wrote in my last entry that our shower doesn’t have hot water, but that was before I learned the trick. The neighbourhood handyman demonstrated to me that the faucet needs to be turned just so, and you knows it’s at the right place when the light dims a little because the shower is using electricity to heat the water then. I tried showing it to my roommate, but wasn’t quite sure of exactly how to find the sweet spot. Her concern was “what if you need to take a shower and you’re in a hurry?”
Anyways, I’m glad I wrote about having a cold shower in my blog, because Lane and Sheri Elliot, fellow Albertans serving as missionaries in my very city, read it and kindly invited me over to their house to take a hot shower. You always hear about how when Bolivians or Hondurans run into each other in a foreign country they will embrace each other and act as though they’ve known each other their whole life even though they are complete strangers. Well, I think it’s the same with Canadians, or at least Albertans. We had no trouble filling up six hours, talking (in English) about everything from to vegan diets to language school to Leighton Hickman! Lane filled me in on the Paraguayan political situation (an ironic mess!), we drank tea together, and looked at maps of Paraguay (apparently Paraguay is bigger than Germany which we find hard to believe), and Sheri told me about how they ended up together (They were highschool sweethearts. When Lane remarked, “what do I know? I’m only 32” Sheri was able to tell him that he’d been saying that since he was 17.) My favourite part was their really cute kids. It was weird to hear little voices speaking in English, or I should say euphoric. A recurring theme throughout the evening was Tim Horton’s and Timbits. Their language tutor always asked them what was a Canadian food, and they best they could come up with was Timbits, and of course the tutor thought it must be some kind of joke to say that the national food is the donut hole. I can honestly say I haven’t thought about Tim Horton’s even once prior to last night, but I woke up this morning craving a honey crueller.
I have always wondered why people say it’s so important to be married if you want to be a missionary. In my mind, it makes a lot more sense to be soltera, free to serve others, immerse yourself in the culture and not have a family to take care of. But it sometimes comes at the high cost of personal crisis: homesickness, loneliness and “I can’t do this!!” Sure the Elliot’s miss some things (like Timbits), but whenever they want they can return to Canadian society just by entering their home and being together as a family and being reminded that they have each other and that is what the most important. I am so thankful that I could spend time with the Elliots, and that I am always welcome in Oscar and Karen’s home, and that I can always pick up a book in English and transport myself to familiarity; but at the same time I am so glad to have the experience of living with Emi and learning so much about Paraguayan life and to go whole days without speaking a word of English. I just don’t think I could do for the rest of my life.
Anyways, I’m glad I wrote about having a cold shower in my blog, because Lane and Sheri Elliot, fellow Albertans serving as missionaries in my very city, read it and kindly invited me over to their house to take a hot shower. You always hear about how when Bolivians or Hondurans run into each other in a foreign country they will embrace each other and act as though they’ve known each other their whole life even though they are complete strangers. Well, I think it’s the same with Canadians, or at least Albertans. We had no trouble filling up six hours, talking (in English) about everything from to vegan diets to language school to Leighton Hickman! Lane filled me in on the Paraguayan political situation (an ironic mess!), we drank tea together, and looked at maps of Paraguay (apparently Paraguay is bigger than Germany which we find hard to believe), and Sheri told me about how they ended up together (They were highschool sweethearts. When Lane remarked, “what do I know? I’m only 32” Sheri was able to tell him that he’d been saying that since he was 17.) My favourite part was their really cute kids. It was weird to hear little voices speaking in English, or I should say euphoric. A recurring theme throughout the evening was Tim Horton’s and Timbits. Their language tutor always asked them what was a Canadian food, and they best they could come up with was Timbits, and of course the tutor thought it must be some kind of joke to say that the national food is the donut hole. I can honestly say I haven’t thought about Tim Horton’s even once prior to last night, but I woke up this morning craving a honey crueller.
I have always wondered why people say it’s so important to be married if you want to be a missionary. In my mind, it makes a lot more sense to be soltera, free to serve others, immerse yourself in the culture and not have a family to take care of. But it sometimes comes at the high cost of personal crisis: homesickness, loneliness and “I can’t do this!!” Sure the Elliot’s miss some things (like Timbits), but whenever they want they can return to Canadian society just by entering their home and being together as a family and being reminded that they have each other and that is what the most important. I am so thankful that I could spend time with the Elliots, and that I am always welcome in Oscar and Karen’s home, and that I can always pick up a book in English and transport myself to familiarity; but at the same time I am so glad to have the experience of living with Emi and learning so much about Paraguayan life and to go whole days without speaking a word of English. I just don’t think I could do for the rest of my life.
# posted by Ellen @ 4:27 PM 
