Carissa's (Continuing) Adventures

A little over two weeks ago, I stepped foot in America for the first time in 22 months. Having spent the better part of two years in Bulgaria as a missionary, teacher, and legal alien, stepping back on my home soil has been a strange experience to say the least. People have asked me many questions, most of them along the lines of, “How was it?” “Did you have fun?” “What were your favorite things?” “What are you going to do now?” And my replies have generally been: “I love tacos.”  I haven’t really known the answers to these questions. I have a general idea of what happened over the past few years, but I lived day-by-day. Each day brought new challenges and events, so I didn’t spend the time pondering how I had changed and what I liked the most. Now that I’m face to face with my old world, I feel a bit out of sorts, and almost at a loss to describe what’s happening inside my head. Today in church, an image from the end of Return of the King came to my mind and ...

  I’ve been back in America for one week now. I’ve had enough time to get over jet-lag and visit Walmart but not enough to feel quite at home. It’s strange to be back in a place where I know everyone, I see familiar faces at the store or coffee shop, I can ask for something without practicing the conversation in my head, and the waitresses are just so nice . I’ve had ups and downs so far during this transition: the lowest point being having a break down in CVS; the highlight being back with my friends and family.  I’ve been missing what had become familiar in Bulgaria: my friends, my job, public transportation, the food. Fortunately, I have plenty of pictures to remember my last few weeks abroad with. A week before my departure, winter hit Sofia. My students enjoyed more snowball fights and I enjoyed my magnificent view.   Making literal snowmen?   I miss this view!  I also crammed as much time with friends as I could into th...

Two years ago, I was packing up my car, heading to a two month training. I said goodbye to a lot of fabulous people and trusted that leaving behind my family, friends, and home was the way God was calling me to serve Him. After training, I had to say goodbye to everyone again, before boarding a plane to move to Bulgaria. It didn't hit me until I was sitting in the airport waiting for the gate to open that I was really leaving the home I'd had for 22 years. I was leaving my life of predictability and security and flying into the unknown. The years that followed that plane trip have been crazy. There's no other word for it. I've done so much that I never thought I would, or didn't even know that I could do. So I wanted to write down my story. I don't have any wonderful reflections, yet. I think I'll need some time to make lists and process everything that's happened, but I have pictures and a hope that I've walked worthy of my calling. In the p...