Sunday Morning

I've been up for a while, which means breakfast dishes are done, lunch is in the crockpot, and I'm ready for church...

So I decided to take a few moments and write a short update.

I've been a bad, bad Project 365er. I have taken only one photo all week :( I keep remembering after the fact that I should have taken a photo while someone was here, or we were somewhere, or something was happening...

I'm too much "in the moment" as we are welcomed back by this friend or that friend, and I simply don't think about taking out my camera to document the moment.

Es lo que hay.

I've been saying that a lot this week. Yep, back in Argentina, land of the trámites infinitos (not sure that's a proper Spanish saying, but it expresses the sentiment exactly). I will not bore you with the details but simply say it made me want to pull my hair out. Good thing I'd just gotten a haircut, so there wasn't much to yank on.

I'd also forgotten how long everything takes. I'm like a horse somebody reined in suddenly. Whoa! Slow down girl! 

And yet, as long as it takes to get things done, the days seem to be flying by. How do you explain that?

I am enjoying doing laundry and hanging it on the line again. It's so hot and arid that a load is dry long before the next load is ready to hang out (remember, it takes my washer 2 hours to do a load).

We rarely had time for long, leisurely visits with people in the states, unless we were staying with someone. Here it is a given. It's nice to kick back and not have to watch the clock but just enjoy the coffee and conversation.

I should not be surprised at how it takes me a while to shift from one culture to another. I should be used to this by now, shouldn't I? I guess I thought it would get easier and happen faster the more we go back and forth. Although this was only our second furlough, it was our fourth visit to the U.S. since moving here (we also went up for Tina's wedding, and then for dad's funeral).

There are things about both cultures that I like and dislike. Just so we're clear: It's not that the things I dislike are wrong, it's more an issue of a personal preference.

So here I sit with the time to type a blog post on a Sunday morning, because my speedy, efficient American self has already taken care of the things that needed to be done. But I look forward to a time of greeting each person at church with a kiss and the chance to leisurely catch up on their week. The best of two worlds.