Three Months Later...

It still seems like I was just in Ethiopia a few weeks ago. When in reality I’ve been back for three months. Some days are good, some days are rough. Ethiopia will forever have a piece of me. I think I’ll always want to go back, even if it’s just for a visit.

The thing I have been struggling with a lot lately, in regard to my heart being in two countries, seemed quite trivial (insignificant) to me. I almost had myself convinced I was being a little overboard with it. Until today, when I talked to a friend and fellow missionary who just returned from the field, Jordan Shelton. It was the first time I had heard said out loud what I was thinking and feeling, and it’s because Jordan is experiencing the same thing. I feel like I’m forgetting all of the language I have learned in Ethiopia.

Language connects you to a culture. We speak English in America. If you were to go to Mexico, you would have a harder time connecting with Spanish speaking people at first, especially if you are limited in your Spanish and they in their English. Finding people in Mexico who speak English gives you a sense of home, and you can’t help but be excited about speaking fluently, with no mistakes, mistranslations, or misunderstandings. You are free to speak your language.

Try to imagine speaking a language that is not Spanish, or French, or German. A language that is found in a place on the opposite side of the world; in Africa. That language probably will not be easily found in America. It is much harder to feel connected to the culture through language, because it just isn’t being used.

To not be so vague, I’ll make it personal. I learned afan Oromoo. It is spoken in Ethiopia - on the opposite side of the world. There aren’t too many people in America who can speak this language. I haven’t found anyone in Manhattan who can. Because of that, I feel like I’m becoming more and more disconnected from Ethiopia, and in my mind it’s a tragedy. Sure, I have all of my notes from our language tutor, Kalbessa. Sometimes I chat with him in afan Oromoo over Facebook chat. Don’t get me wrong, I cherish those brief conversations where I can communicate in a language that is now so dear to my heart. But it still doesn’t stop the sadness I feel when I realize the language that connects me to my friends in Ethiopia is fading faster with every passing week.

So there you have it. An update on my thoughts concerning my life in Ethiopia.