Life in another country is scary in theory. You are surrounded by people and a culture that is entirely foreign to what you are accustomed to. The "norms" have changed and the only people and places you've known your entire life can only be reached by plane. It's scary in theory.
The reality of it is much different. As I sit here and write this letter, its hard to put into words what it's like to live abroad, because after a period of time it no longer feels like "living abroad." Humanity is humanity everywhere. Underneath it all, we are one and the same and its a beautiful thing, that even with language barriers and different family backgrounds, we can grab each other's hand at the end of the day and say "you're just like me."
Jarabacoa is no longer the "place I'm going to be for the next year, it has become the "place that I live." at least for the time being. I remember at my family reunion this summer, someone asked me where I lived and I without hesitation I responded "the Dominican Republic.' She looked at me strangely before moving on. I realized that my mindset has changed. I'm no longer on the countdown to how many days until I go back home to Michigan, because for me Jarabacoa is already home.
I love this city with its mountain views and palm trees.
I love walking to church on Sundays.
I love worshipping God in a different language and realizing that my God cannot be contained within a language or a culture.
I love early morning runs while watching the sun rise, basking the mountains in purple.
I love attempting to make new dishes for supper and settling in for a Hallmark movie at the end of a long day.
I love walking to get ice cream (with sprinkles of course)
I love bilingual game nights where Dominicans and Americans come together in a Spanglish fashion and laugh and joke and play Skipbo as the sun goes down,
And most of all I love the fact that I'm no longer living abroad, I'm just living.
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