Early observations of life in America

Now that we've been here about two weeks, I'd like to share some observations about life in America. Some are things that I appreciate; others are simply things I notice.

1. There are lines on the roads indicating where you should drive, and where you can pass - and people follow them! When we have lines in East Africa they are considered mere suggestions. Driving here is so easy that we can almost safely zone out while at the wheel.

2. It's blazing hot in Texas, but everyone is surprised that it's never that hot in Musoma. Although we're so thankful for the A/C, we are surprised at how cold they keep the restaurants and other places. It feels quite odd to walk out into 105 degrees outside carrying a sweater so we can comfortably go out to eat!

3. CLEAN WATER! Oh, the luxury of clean water. I don't have to keep my mouth closed in the shower. I can rinse off my toothbrush from the tap in the sink. I can rinse a cup and then drink from it immediately afterward without worrying about amoeba. It's so nice!

4. The "bigness" of it all - at restaurants sodas and plates of pasta are huge. Along with this comes the "sweetness" of it all - sugar seems to be added to everything edible. And while on the topic of sugar - the sugar here is so nice and fine and white! Our sugar in TZ looks like what Americans call "Sugar in the Raw," big and brown, and we laugh that people consider that special!

5. Options are limitless. We can't get decent orange juice in TZ unless we squeeze it ourselves and add sugar (which due to the above reasons doesn't dissolve nicely). But here we have the choice of: pulp, no pulp, vitamins added, diet, healthy heart, antioxidants, fresh, frozen, from concentrate, from various types of oranges, from various brands, and then - which is the best price? And that's just juice! Now think about churches, entertainment choices, restaurants, clothing, friendships, music, books, and the list is as limitless as the options.

6. Green grass and beautifully manicured landscaping around homes and businesses in spite of lack of rain - and sprinkler systems!

7. Doctors' appointments are hard to get. In Nairobi we can get an appointment with a good doctor within 1 or 2 days pretty easily, even if we are a new patients.

8. It's light here from 6am - 8pm. In Musoma it's light from 6:30am - 6:30pm...year round. We can't seem to get the kids into bed at the right time since we're all internally confused.

9. In East Africa it seems to take us a lot of time and a lot of effort to get even small errands accomplished satisfactorily. Here, things are straightforward, traffic is easily navigable, and everything is open when we need it to be. American businesses have catered to the high value we place on efficiency, and customer service is standard instead of extremely rare.

10. We don't pay for internet by the megabyte - it just feels nice to view whatever we like without even thinking about its size.

So we're grateful to be back in the Land of Plenty, enjoying its riches and conveniences, but we also still appreciate life in Africa where things generally seem more simple and light.