It's been 6 months since I left Bangladesh. I can't believe it really. I've become to acquainted to the Quad Cities (the name of the metro that I live in) that it feels sometimes like I've been here for ages yet at the same time it feels like I was in Bangladesh just last week. Where has the time gone?
I've started reading an amazing book called "Revolution in World Missions." It was written by an Indian man who spent time in the US. As he described his experience of culture shock, I couldn't help but feel that I've almost become complacent. There is so much that I've come to take for granted that, 6 months ago, I would've drooled at the thought of. I am writing this blog from a high speed internet access point, and unlike in Bangladesh, it is actually fast! Today as I drove around town I couldn't help but think about the normalcy in the driving conditions here. It's amazing, people stay in their lanes and obey street lights. I've found myself getting complacent with the water. I can drink the water here and not wonder if I will be sick the next day. I also can eat at restaurants and not wonder if I will get sick due to how the food was prepared. There is a freedom of worship in this country. Politicians are political parties are trying to gain support through tv ads and debates and speeches and NOT blockades and hartals.
It's really amazing how much I forget and how quickly I forget it. The plants outside of my office are well kept, the grass is green, people aren't going to the bathroom on the side of every building, there isn't sewage in the streets, police don't need bribes to do their jobs, I am not being offered a book or a map at every street light that I come to, (although I do kind of miss my friend who handed out maps in Dhaka) the city's infrastructure is keeping up with the population....the list could go on. I just need to remember how blessed people are in the first world.
I often find myself wondering "where next?" and not so much "what now?" and I realize that I need to invest into where I am. So with this in mind, I can see myself in the Quad Cities for a while.