That is the truth in life right now. We are still adjusting. I suppose I knew it would take a little while, but I didn't expect how difficult it would be.
Let me start by sharing what I know.
1. Ohio is like a different world. People and things are so different here. I find myself just having to adjust to how friendly people are and how slow things are. I was trying to explain to someone in KC today how rural we are and how we no longer live in a "snap your fingers" way of life. Our bank, which is a national bank, closes at 3 pm. If we want something overnighted, we have to have to get it to the UPS man two days before it needs to arrive. We are extremely rural.
2. I am afraid of the dark. We lost electricity a couple weeks ago. Complete blackness in every direction. It freaked me out.
3. The priorities in this area are not the same. People take care of their kids, live modestly, save money and put no priority into luxury items or taking care of themselves.
4. We are true outsiders. People just don't move into this area. It might be an under estimate to say that 99% of the people we met have lived here their entire lives. We are oddballs for coming to this poor area. Everyone agrees that what we have done would be difficult.
5. I'm an oddball. I know, it's separate from the above statement. I've not met one woman who is a stay at home mom or wife. Every woman I have met works. I've been told I need to get a job just so I will fit in. It's crazy. There is one sweet little old lady at church that says she stayed home with her children 60 years ago, but went back to work late in life. She's the only one who hasn't treated me like an alien.
6. This is still hard. Six weeks in and we still find ourselves fighting to not feel like fish out of water. We feel very forgotten by our friends and family back home. With very little exception, we don't ever have contact with anyone from home unless we contact them first. It's very discouraging. We expected some distance, but not so quick and not before we began to make some connections here. We are homesick and heartsick.
7. Owning two houses is stressful. We are praying that this Friday is the day. I know the stress of the sell on our KC house has worn us both down. I am not kidding when I say that stress has made us both physically ill this past month.
8. Thankfully, the dogs have now adapted to their new home and surroundings. They play and bark just like they did before we knew we were moving. Our oldest dog Lucy was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Having her on meds for a week has made a huge difference in her activity level. I still let one of them walk to the mailbox with me everyday and we are slowly allowing them the freedom to be country living dogs.
9. There are very few people in this town and surrounding areas who would be considered minorities. It's crazy. If a black person walks into the local walmart, everyone stairs. It's so weird to me. We sat in a bible study where someone referred to homosexuals as fags and queers last week. It's been a long time since we've lived in an area where people weren't at least mindful of being politically correct in their speech.
10. We live in a giant mission field. Despite the volume of churches, we are finding that christianity is weak here. We've found a lot of people who do church because it's the right thing to do. Everyone believes they are a christian cause they are a good person and there are churches which support that. I find myself wanting to lovingly encourage and correct people I talk to about the bible. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I am expert. However, I do know core beliefs. With a little more comfort and confidence in my surroundings and I won't hesitate to share what I know, share what the bible clearly states.
There you have it. There's a lot more. However, a thunderstorm is coming which mean that we will soon lose internet, television and electricity. Oh the joys of country living!
