Another anniversary

I didn't really think I had anything to blog about today.  Then I talked to my parents, and they reminded me that today is the 3rd anniversary of my arrival in Ecuador.  How have three years gone by already?!  I don't know how this works, but it feels like the time has flown by and at the same time like it has been a lifetime since I was anywhere else.  

Now I'm asking myself, "What have I learned since coming to Ecuador?"  Here are a few things that I've come up with in answer to that question.  In no particular order.

1. ALWAYS look where you're walking.  Even surfaces are a rarity here, and you never know what you might step in if you're not careful.

2. Things that initially seem strange and foreign become common more quickly than you might think.

3. There are some things you may just never get used to.

4. Modern communication technology is wonderful (when it works).  It definitely makes the distance between here and home seem less.

5. Hot showers are a luxury, not a necessity.

6. Make sure you have everything settled with the Lord before you get on the bus.

7. Quietness is a commodity greatly to be appreciated.  (I think I knew this before but perhaps did not appreciate it as I should have.)

8.  Being on time is not a universal concept.

9. Being a foreigner is at times an advantage and at times a disadvantage.  You just have to take the bad with the good.  It's not likely to change.

10. It is possible to feel very much at home in a place that is very unlike your home.

I look forward to seeing what else this adopted home of mine will teach me before it's all said and done.

And as always.......  COME VISIT!!!