Home Sweet Home

We’ve been here for almost five months and the homesickness ebbs and flows. Most of us don’t really have time to think about ‘home’ too often, but we find ourselves missing certain comforts of home – mostly food. I’m sure we’ve all made at least one mental list of things we want to eat if/when we visit/return.

My list includes:

• Coffee (Good, affordable coffee, and real creamer.)
• Japanese food, especially sushi (There are very few Japanese restaurants here and, most of what makes them “Japanese”, is sushi. I have yet to eat seafood here, so we’ll see how long I hold out.)
• Chick-fil-A
• Mexican food (I long for a street taco on a weekly basis.)
• Cheese (Cheese is really expensive here. Good for my waistline, bad for my cheese-loving heart.)
• In-n-Out (They have cheeseburgers here that are decent, but they’re still not the same.)
• Mediterranean food (Specifically Chicken Maison. There used to be a Greek restaurant in our area, but it no longer exists. I’m on a constant search for tahini and chickpeas. I did see a small falafel restaurant, but I’m not a huge fan of falafel. )
• BBQ (Or good beef for that matter. Beef here tends to taste gamey.)
• Pie (Any American-style pie.)
• Fancy salad (Cobb, chicken with gorgonzola, asian chicken … anything that’s not just lettuce and tomatoes.)
• Jalepeño cheese bagels (I will settle for any bagel with cream cheese at this point. )
• Chocolate chip cookies (The ovens here are small and a little confusing.)

There’s more, but you get the idea. Even more than food, I miss the convenience of living in the states. As nice as it is to have access to public transportation, it’s not always convenient. City life in general is not convenient for families with children, or for the disabled. I have yet to see a bus with a lift. Most subway stations have steep stairs. There are usually escalators, but only going one way (up or down). If there is an elevator, it’s not accessible at the entrance, and it’s often out of service. Sidewalks usually end abruptly and they’re often unkept and don’t have an “on-ramp”. I once used a rolling cart to bring home groceries and ended up with a few broken eggs when I returned. Unless I opt to leave the stroller behind, it’s a real, physical challenge to take H anywhere on my own. I seriously miss the Ergo days.

Months like this month, where we’ve had thunder/rainstorms, make it hard to keep my active little guy occupied. Thankfully he finds amusement in looking out the window, but that can only keep his attention for so long. There aren’t very many parks near us and even fewer with playgrounds. There is a playground near our school, but H is still a little too small to play there safely. There are many indoor play places throughout the city, but none are nearby. The nearest is about an hour’s travel time away. I broke H’s media fast and let him watch TV so I could get some things done. We’re all a little stir-crazy at this point.

A lot of processes here are very complicated as well. I tried signing up for a Taobao account (kind of like their version of eBay/Amazon) and could not figure out how to tie it to their version of Paypal. I ended up with three random accounts tied to Paypal accounts with no money. I had to ask a local friend to figure it out for me. A few phone calls and half an hour later, my account was finally set up. I usually make Alex call places beforehand to make sure that they’re still in business, still exist, or to double check what we need to complete a transaction. I feel like I’m in a constant state of needing to bring everything and the kitchen sink. Don’t even ask us how many times we had to go to the bank to set up an account.

All of this serves to remind me that I’m an alien and a stranger; not just here, but in the states as well. Since we arrived here, I have a hard time saying “back at home” because I recognize that the place I left was not truly my home. This place is not my home. The next place will not be my home. My only true home is with him and I will never be fully satisfied until I’m there. I’m so grateful that there is an eternal, perfect, home waiting for us. This one truth makes everything else seem like cake (yet another food I miss dearly). In the words of Spurgeon: “Thy head may be crowned with thorny troubles now, but it shall wear a starry crown ere long; thy hand may be filled with cares—it shall sweep the strings of the harp of heaven soon.”