USA

Yesterday, I flew into Chicago O'Hare airport three hours later than expected due to a delay in London. All 19 of us interns missed our connecting flight to Indianapolis so we stayed the night at the Hilton.

What better way to have reverse culture shock than to stay in a luxurious hotel for free? (A hotel that cost over $250 to stay in for one night!!!)

While in London I was very frustrated and upset at the culture. I saw no less than 50 people with an iPad, Kindle, or MacBook. For the last two months I have been in a culture where people can go days without eating, yet there are people in other parts of the world who have so much money they don't know what to do with it.

I'm not going to say I thought it was okay that they have these luxuries. It breaks my heart to know people that struggle every day. It breaks my heart to realize that the poor look so different to me now. It breaks my heart that I'm sometimes careless with my money spending it on items I do not need.

Life in America is different than life in Kenya. The cost of everything is much higher. I had McDonalds for breakfast at the airport and it was $5.00 which is the equivalent to about half of a months rent in Mathare. In Nairobi, I could eat breakfast food for about $2.00 or less. For me, it's crazy to think about the differences in cost of living between the two countries.

There's nothing quite like reverse culture shock being thrown in you face right upon returning to America.

In Christ,
Brandi :)