It was Raquel’s first time going to the States and she was so impressed! She spent four hours one day talking to me about how much she loved the States. Of course, I was a welcome audience because I was pleased to hear someone talking about how great my country is and agreed with all of her praises. She said, “When someone thinks of the United States, they think of how they’re always getting involved in other countries’ wars and meddling in other countries’ affairs. But people don’t realize how wonderful it is over there! The average person’s quality of life is a higher standard. They expect more.”
Raquel noticed things that you might take for granted so I wanted to take a moment to highlight her first impressions:
- They went to Lowe’s and were mesmerized by the amount of lawn mowers available. Raquel thought that surely they were just for rich people living in mansions, but then was surprised to go to an average American family’s home and see one there. The American told her that everyone has one and that it’s no big deal. That was an eye opener for Raquel because down here most people’s yards are so small that a weed eater or machete is all you need.
- Raquel was baffled by the fact that all of the homes don’t have gates and bars and security cameras guarding their homes like here. You can leave your car parked in a driveway or on the street without having it locked up tight in your garage. You can even leave your belongings in your car while you’re at the store! In California, she felt safe taking a walk after dawn too. She was perplexed at how safe it is, without the aid of policemen and security guards watching your every move. It was liberating for her to be able to drive through different suburbs without having to be asked for identification to enter the street (The upper-class communities here are gated with security guards holding guns at the entrance monitoring everything.).
- Raquel works for the government here as a topographer. Before having her second child this year, she travelled the country in her SUV along bumpy roads dodging potholes mapping out where people live along the “streets with no name” (To get an idea, click here and read the section titled "By car"). So of course one of the things that she is fascinated with is the streets. She loves that all of the streets have names that are clearly marked and people drive in an orderly fashion. The roads are so well maintained and the double decker bridge astounds her.
- With a 2 ½ year old and a newborn, Raquel noticed that Americans have large families. I was about to disprove her generalization, but then I thought about just my friends with large families - Shelly and Tami each with five kids; Sarah and Leslie each with four kids; Carie, Jessica, and Margie with three kids, to name a few.
- Maybe that's why there is a plethora of activities available for children. Raquel takes her son to a children’s gym which she says aren’t as accessible to the middle class of Costa Rica. She loves the well maintained parks and green areas for kids, which I must say, far exceed what I have found here. I recently pointed a website out to her with a calendar of events just for families with small children in Folsom and she was beside herself with joy.
- I explained that in Atlanta, everyday was an adventure for David and me as I would check the web and whisk him away for a day of fun at a children’s museum, a new park, a movie under the stars, a classical concert on the green, a local farmer’s market, or a picnic in the N. Georgia mountains. It’s so easy to find a variety of events online, but not so here. We both agree that there are different fairs that come into town down here, but they’re always the same vendors with the same cheap merchandise and food with run-down dinky fair rides.
- Raquel was confused to see clothing, food, and electronics at a fraction of the cost for what she would normally pay in Costa Rica. Why does her government increase the price up to five times what Americans pay for in the States? Good question, I tell her! The used Old Navy shirt for sale at the “American clothes” store cost $7 when I could get it for $0.75 at the Last Chance Thrift Store on Thornton Road in Lithia Springs. I, too, am frustrated with paying $5 for a block of cheese when I could get it free with my extreme couponing skills in the States.
She saw an extreme coupon show one day called Cupónmania and couldn’t believe the deals! While I never got $1,500 worth of groceries for $4, I would like to teach her how to cut her grocery bill in half. But I digress…
While I haven’t answered her yet, my reply is simple. We came here because our desire to obey God by telling others about His love for them far exceeds our desire to be comfortable. I do miss my family and the comforts of home, but nothing is more important than sharing with everyone that:
- God created us,
- he loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, into an evil world to redeem it through the sacrifice of shedding his blood on the cross so that we can have an abundant life and live with peace in our hearts in the here and now;
- and be assured that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended up into Heaven to prepare a place for those who have chosen to believe in and follow him.
