State of the Union

It’s hard to believe, but we’ve been on the road for two months now. We’ve seen some amazing things, met some interesting people, experienced many new cultures, and we’re learning to adapt to new situations quickly as we’re moving from place to place.  I’ve enjoyed chronicling our experiences through the blog; hopefully our adventures have been fun to read about.

So, how are we really doing?

This past period marks the longest time Deena and I have been away from home before and after children.  We’ve all been slightly homesick at times, but the feeling has been short-lived so far, and it hasn’t been as intense as I had expected it would be.  None of us have volatile personalities, and we’ve always gotten along well together at home, and that state has continued on the road.  Do we get on each other’s nerves at times?  Do we argue?  Do we ever need our own space?  Of course the answer is "yes" to all those questions, but overall, we laugh a lot and enjoy each other very much. That good humor has helped us get through the rough patches so far.

God wired me to be a man who takes pleasure from simple things, and I can be comfortable and satisfied without being surrounded by a multitude of accoutrements.  Deena is wired in a similar fashion, which I suppose is one of the many reasons we do so well together.  I function the best within the borders of a simple daily routine, and I’ve managed to create one on the road.  I’ve always enjoyed rising early before everyone else, and that pattern has continued, but now I use my time alone to enjoy my coffee and write instead of packing lunches for school or loading up work equipment for the day.  At home, one of my great joys is daily preparing a good breakfast for my family, and I still do that, but now there’s no pressure to get kids to school and to fight traffic to be at work on time.

I have worked hard for over thirty years, and I’m thankful that God equipped me with the talent and stamina to support myself and my family with a trade that I love.  I hated painting when I was growing up, and I considered every long minute of even the smallest job to be a study in drudgery.  Many people who paint for a living do so as a last resort after every other attempted venture has failed.  That was certainly my case, and at a young age and at a critical crossroads in my life, someone was kind to me and showed me how to perform the trade correctly, and something clicked.  Eric Liddell of Chariots of Fire fame once said, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”  I love that quote, and I believe that God made me for a purpose as well, and he also made me a tradesman.  And when I paint I feel His pleasure.  I’m sure that sounds weird, but it’s true for me; painting is a natural joy, and I’m thankful for the many years I’ve been able to do it at a high level.  

Now that every day is like Saturday, I’m having to get used to not working—I’m sure that sounds strange too, but I truly enjoy my work, and life is very different without it.  As I’ve aged, the physical aspect of my trade has become more difficult to manage; so my body is enjoying the break, and Deena reminds me that it’s just for a year—I’ll survive, I suppose.  Deena has worked hard for many years in her profession as well, and both of us agree that there’s something to be said for retirement!

The human desire to put down roots and establish a home is incredibly strong, and I’ve felt that urge over and over during the course of the trip so far.  Even if we’ve stayed in a place for just a few days, it’s proven difficult to extricate ourselves and start all over again.  The hassle of travel details has something to do with that I’m sure, but having a permanent home should never be taken for granted.  However, the joys that come with discovering a new city and learning about historical events in the places where they occurred help temper the inclination to stay put, and we all enjoy the confidence that the pioneering aspect of travel produces.

Travel days can be very difficult, especially if they are centered around airports.  Early in the trip, we were in and out of airports frequently, and the process wore us down a bit.  I don’t see how business travelers do it.  Traveling by air is very stressful, and everything about the operation brings out the worst qualities of humanity.  Most people don’t fly often, and when they do, many opportunities for freak outs arise: paying for flying, packing, getting to the airport on time, obtaining a boarding pass, security procedures, finding food, finding the gate, the line at the gate, dealing with strangers, sitting in a tin can 30,000 feet above terra firma, landing, customs, finding ground transportation, figuring out all of the afore mentioned things in another language—I could go on.  The combination of those stressful situations produces people who are nervous and highly irritated, and being around lots of them on multiple trips to the airport is exhausting.  I suppose one could just stay home and avoid all that stuff, but then who would want to miss the sun rising over the Mediterranean and warming the rosy gold stucco buildings nestled into the hills of Barcelona.

The preparation for this trip was lengthy and more involved than we could have imagined going in, and I’ll write about that process in a future post.  For the past two months, I’ve written about the challenges and the joys of our trip so far, and the following is a random selection of thoughts about home:

No matter how hard we try at home, we end up getting sucked into the stressful, runaround life that plagues the American family.  Even simple activities spawn numerous sub-activities, and all of a sudden, we’re running somewhere every minute of every day, falling into bed exhausted every night, already thinking about the to-do list for the next day.  We are currently delighting in simple day-to-day living, and we are spending rich time talking to each other and enjoying our family while learning much about our world.  I am thankful for this time, and I earnestly pray that we can employ a modicum of simplicity upon our return home.

The Southern Cross Academy homeschool thing is going well—the kids are ahead in their studies.  Any feelings of inadequacy that Deena and I experience as teachers are tempered by the fact we are conducting school in the biggest classroom in the world.  

I enjoy living my life inconspicuously for the most part, and there is no way to pull that off in a land where English is not the primary language.  A simple trip to the pharmacy to buy deodorant becomes a major event as the other customers in the store immediately become aware of the Americans struggling to select a product and figure out the money to pay for it.  

There are still many decent folks in the world who will go out of their way to help a consternated and confused traveler.

We miss our family and friends, but through the miracle of the internet and wifi, we’re managing to keep up with everyone.  The kids are at an age when friends are a huge factor, and social media is helping them keep up with events back home.  To their credit, Joseph and Deveny are appreciating the benefits our trip and are keeping the inconveniences in perspective.

Daily trips to the market to purchase ingredients for well-planned meals are resulting in a healthier diet with very little snacking.  It helps that European markets don’t have snack aisles with ten flavors of Cheezits or triple-stuffed Oreos.  We’re getting consistent exercise by walking many kilometers almost daily.

A foreign language broadcast of a soccer match is a poor, poor substitute for an autumn Sunday afternoon watching football on the couch.  

We’ve enjoyed finding local churches in which to worship, and we’re encouraged by believers running the race worldwide.

I miss my little black poodle, Lucy, but Grandma Leah and Grandpa Joe are spoiling her rotten, and I am thankful.

The excellence of North Carolina BBQ should never, ever be taken for granted.

I miss the highly-caffeinated citric arctic rush of chugging an ice-cold Diet Mountain Dew at 4:00 everyday, as is my custom back home.  Diet Dew is not available anywhere over here, and I am saddened by the void in my life created by the absence of this quality beverage.  Maury and Craig, if you guys are reading this, drink one for me, my friends.