We went to a cross-cultural training in Colorado last year and learned about the stages of change that we would encounter.
Settled- rooted stage
Unsettling- “pulling up” stage
Chaos- rootless stage
Re-settling- surface adjustment stage
Settled- newly rooted stage
The unsettling phase included de-junking the house, moving in with parents as we support raised and all the other things that came along with preparing to leave. Chaos struck the moment we stepped off the airplane and into a foreign culture full of new sounds, smells, tastes and so on. In ways, chaos is the honeymoon phase because EVERYTHING is new, fun and exciting. This phase lasted about 6 months and I am happy to say that we are re-settling. I now know who sells the best veggies in town, we know our bread maker by name, I don’t feel nervous every time I need to speak Spanish, communication is improving, we like our little, tin roofed house and are slowly decorating it to make it feel more like home, the gas and water delivery guys know where we live (giving directions in Spanish is terrible especially when we don’t have an address), friendships are beginning as we intentionally invite people over for dinner, and finally even our immune systems are adapting which means fewer sicknesses. Feeling uncomfortable has been normal for 6 months and I am glad that many things are starting to feel much more normal and comfortable.
We want to be fully invested in Guatemala and see this as home for the next 2.5 years. Pray with us that we will continue to settle into life here.
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