This past weekend we headed into Tegucigalpa for a weekend of rest in preparation for the missionary retreat. We haven't been to Teguc in quite a while and I noticed a distinct change in our agenda for this trip. When we first arrived in Honduras, we wanted to do everything Honduran and completely immerse ourselves in this culture. We wanted Honduran food, Honduran houses and Honduran churches. I was even prepared to let go of my schedule and was looking forward to the mas tranquilo" Honduran lifestyle. This weekend was a completely different story. We could not wait to get to the big city and all its western ammenities. We visited to malls, ate at Applebee's and Quizno's. And to our delight, we attended an American-style English church service complete with familiar hymns, a service outline in the bulletin and the Lord's Supper. I even got an e-mail from the retreat committee with a absolutely wonderful schedule of evenst for the coming week. And I don't think we've uttered a single Spanish word for the last three days!
Don't get me wrong. We're not ready to catch the next flight to States. We are just learning to appreciate our own culture after experiencing another. After so long at El Sembrador, we aren't really missing home...it's more like a craving for normal. We spend so much time not understanding...or trying to understand...or learning to understand that the old and familiar is refreshing. When you spend months living in someone else's shoes, it's nice to slip on those worn out Old Navy flip-flops again...even if it's just for a little while. I'm sure we'll be ready to return to our beloved El Sembrador after retreat, but for now we are thoroughly enjoying the walk along the beach in our own American flip-flops.
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