in between cultures

We're coming to Canada TOMORROW si Bondye vle (if God wills it), or maybe Friday but soon anyway-- one two all three of us (eventually) for an extended visit! . . . here’s what we’re looking forward to and what we’re going to miss too, in random order!

just before those, here's what Wikipedia says about our trip. . .
!!!!! Reverse Culture Shock - Returning to one's home culture after growing accustomed to a new one characterized by anxiety and feelings of surprise, disorientation, confusion, etc. felt when people trying to operate within an entirely different cultural or social environment. These feelings are often combined with strong feelings (moral or aesthetical) about certain aspects of the old culture. The term was introduced for the first time in 1954 by Kalervo Oberg.

Esther- YAAY for blueberries , not being the centre of attention, library, bicycling, seeing many of you, and meeting my many nephews and Isabel

Gabriela- WOO HOO for travelling (so far she loves it), meeting the people that Mama and Papa have been showing me in the photos, ? ? ? ?

Matt (who staying in Haiti May-June but coming to visit in July!)- YIPPEE for getting more sleep, pursuing some hobbies (maybe woodworking, maybe Spanish) meeting Esther & Gabriela in Vancouver

and here’s what we’re going to be sad about:

Esther- MISSING rice & beans , sun, heat, Creole and making jokes in Creole, Matt and being a double parent, Martha (Gabriela’s nanny and a good friend), negative images about Haiti (once when we were visiting Canada someone said "boy the water must really dirty there in Haiti". We had at that point already spent two years drinking out of a mountain rock- YES it's hard to have positive images of Haiti and it's not intentional but not knowing what to say is real for us and probably you too).

Gabriela- MISSING Papa, rice & beans, playing with water, Martha , SO many friends, ? ? ?

Matt- MISSING seeing Gabou grow, sharing my bed w/ two warm bodies, coming home to someone

now more from Wikipedia (no actually, University of the Pacific)...Tips for those who stayed at home when encountering expatriates like us:
1. Support the preparation of the returnees for coming home. This can be done even from far away.
2. Be prepared that a new person – somebody you don’t know – will come home.
3. Mark the reentry clearly for the returnees and for those who stayed at home.
4. Avoid criticism and mockery for seemingly strange patterns of behavior and new attitudes.
5. Be attentive towards your own expectations. Avoid to push the returnee into old roles.
6. Create opportunities for the returnees to report on their experiences. Listen carefully and try to understand their significance for them.
7. Acknowledge that the returnees have lost something: friends, a stimulating environment, the feeling of being special, responsibilities, privileges...
8. Encourage contacts to friends and institutions in the former host country.
9. Encourage contacts to people who have successfully gone through the experience of returning home.
10. Accept critical comparisons of culture and lifestyle – you might be able to learn something...
source: (Dr. Bruce La Brack, School of International Studies, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California (unpublished). Adapted by Peter Stadler, Dr. phil., Goldgasse 8, CH-4500 Solothurn.) www.larissa-becker.de/reverse_culture_shock.html