Your child/friend/sister/brother/co-worker has been gone for a year on this crazy thing called the World Race. You’ve tried to keep up with their blogs and Facebook photos, but it’s a little hard to figure out what they’re up to when they change countries, homes, and job every month. Pretty much all you know for sure is that they’ve adopted an eclectic new wardrobe, they’re throwing around Christian-ese terms you’ve never heard before, and you’ve started to wonder how much they’ve changed while they’ve been gone.
And now they’re home.
Don’t be fooled by the baggy Thai pants and socks-in-sandals look; that culture-shocked nomad stepping off the plane with all their worldly possessions strapped to their back really IS your loved one. And you’re right, your World Racer probably has changed in a lot of ways over the past year – and that’s a good thing! Don’t worry, they’re still the same person – maybe just a little weirder. You will probably be surprised, both by the changes and by what hasn’t changed. Every experience is different, but here are some things that your World Racer might need to tell you about the transition home:
Don’t be alarmed if…I get completely overwhelmed trying to decide what to wear.
Daydreaming about having more than 4 outfits is one thing. Knowing what to do with a closet full of clothes after living out of a backpack for a year is another thing entirely.
Don’t be alarmed if…I look shocked at the thought of going anywhere by myself.
It’s not that I don’t want to be alone, it’s just that a year of the buddy system is hard to get over.
Don’t be alarmed if…I lock myself away somewhere near you for “alone time.”
Hey, it’s kept me going through 11 months of community living, why stop now?
Don’t be alarmed if…you hear me talk about processing, taking it to the Lord, knowing your heart on something, and speaking life.
World Race lingo. It makes sense eventually, I promise.
Don’t be alarmed if…every other sentence sounds like this, “When I was in (insert country).”
I’ll have other experiences to talk about soon, but for now the Race is what I know. Bear with me!
Don’t be alarmed if…it takes me a while to figure out which side of the road to drive on.
After living in Asia, I’m never sure which direction the cars are coming from now!
Don’t be alarmed if…I sort through 12 different currencies in my wallet, trying to figure out which to pay with.
At this point it all looks like foreign currency, even the USD.
Don’t be alarmed if…I burst into tears when I’m showing you pictures.
We’re bringing a lot of stories home with us, and sometimes all it takes is looking at the faces again to bring back all the emotion involved.
Don’t be alarmed if…shopping trips lead to a rant on the unreasonably high U.S. prices and how excessive the choices are here.
When you’ve been eating for $4 a day, paying the same amount for a cup of coffee is rough.
Don’t be alarmed if…I’m hesitant to put my clothes in the washer and dryer.
When half the stuff you own has only been washed by hand, you’re a little distrusting of the machines.
Don’t be alarmed if…asking me what I’m doing next results in vague responses.
Life after the Race opens me up to a lot of opportunities. It can be a lot to wrap my head around what’s next!
Don’t be alarmed if…every 3-4 weeks I start getting antsy for a road trip.
Staying in one place for more than a month is going to be an adjustment. I’m going to need some trips out of town so that life feels more normal!
Don’t be alarmed…if I seem abnormally attached to my team.
These six people have been my friends, co-workers, roommates, and family for the past year. Not seeing their faces every day is a big change.
Don’t alarmed if…I’m always on the search for free wifi.
Finding free internet connections is an inevitable part of the Race. It’s hard to remember that I can find it everywhere now.
Don’t be alarmed if…I get excited about strange, everyday things.
Drinking tap water. Cash back from my debit card. Getting from point A to point B without having to arrange public transport. American cheese. Slippers and sweatpants.
Don’t be alarmed if…I start to convert prices in the stores to USD before realizing it’s already in USD.
What, you mean it’s actually the price on the tag?!
Don’t be alarmed if…I assume I can share the food on your plate.
Sharing is caring, right? Isn’t that how it works?
Don’t be alarmed if…in order to remember when things happened at home, I have to figure out what country I was in at the time.
Sometimes the only way I can place something that I heard about over Skype is to remember where I was when I heard it. Figuring out the month is secondary.
Don’t be alarmed if…I have a hard time sleeping in my room by myself.
Having a room to myself hasn’t happened in a while!
Don’t be alarmed if…I seem to be freezing to death when it’s 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
If it’s not 90 degrees and 75% humidity, I’m not used to it.
Don’t be alarmed if…I seem a little weird for a while. Or forever.
The World Race isn’t like any other year of life, and it changes how we live the years to come. Coming home is a lifestyle change but we’ll probably, hopefully, still bring some Race lifestyle with us. Not to mention the fact that Race community IS a little weird in general…I hope U.S. society is ready to have us back!
