one. week.

We're sooo excited to go back home! Maybe me more than the boys. I like to wrap it up in 4 F's: family, friends, food, and familiarity. Sweeeeet!

In a nutshell, this has been a very hard year. Perhaps the hardest to date for our family, but I think more so for me. I won't bore you with the details--those are tucked away in my journal. I don't know if next year will be any easier, honestly. A few things will be, but there are also going to be some even more difficult things that will be thrown at us. (Insert: child #2) And that's when the clinging comes into play...clinging to Him, that is.

I am curious how I'll react to returning to America. When I went to Nigeria (only 2 weeks), I experienced some severe reverse culture shock. I'm expecting some of the same. Some of the warnings we've heard: prices will hurt, overhearing convos that I can understand will be distracting, people's lives have moved on, etc.

Some things I need to remember to adjust to:
- I can't bargain for anything. That will be difficult.
- People follow driving laws. Red light means stop, not look both ways and cross anyway.
- Tipping. Yikes!
- Speaking in more complex sentences, and at a normal speed.
- Preservatives. Not sure I want to adjust to them...
- Josiah is NOT a superstar.
- I can drink water from the tap. That will be weird!!
- Not bagging my own groceries at Mach 90.
And so many more, I'm sure. Perhaps I'll update this list at the end of the summer. :)

I'm wondering how Josiah will adjust, too. He's not used to so many people. (I know, sounds ironic living in a country with 1.3bil) He spends the majority of his days at home or with his friend Ellie. Not with his 6 cousins or umpteen family members or in play groups. We'll see how he does. Hopefully people have some grace for the little guy! I also hope he doesn't forget how to eat his veggies. He's a veggie pro here. But we have a theory: seasoning. I'll have to doctor his veggies there. Then again, I'll have to special order them in restaurants. Why is it that kids meals aren't severed with veggies? Ok, tangent.

We still have a lot to do. Pack up our apartment, since we'll "perhaps" be moved into a campus apartment by the time we get back. Say goodbye to some students and teammates that are leaving us. Pack some more. Organize gifts. Make presentation. The list continues. Hopefully it'll make the days fly by!!