Oh , right. I forgot your mom follows Islam. I can imagine how hard that must be for you. But I'm glad you got to see her and come back home for a bit. Was it a bit of a culture shock when you got here?
Yeah, there still is a little reverse culture shock when you come home after a very long absence. The first was being surrounded by American English voices. You really get used to being an oddball, even if you speak the other language in your adopted country well. Then the large number of restaurants and cafes and the large portions on the plates you order, things like that.
Understand both yours and Fr. Matt's experiences. When I was between 9 and 11, my dad was stationed at Rhein Main AB (the second year. We were off base the first year waiting to get on, living in Waldorf apartments) for 3 years. We had three TV channels and obviously did most everything on base, but sometimes we would go off for trips and for the Frankfurt Zoo. Even I had a culture shock when we returned to the US, moving to Illinois off base the first year and on base the two years after that. I'll never forget the shock of how dirty our country was/is, because Germany was (guessing and hoping it still is) extremely clean. No litter anywhere. Designated spots for dogs to do their business (patches of grass with a sign of a schnauzer -- we used to have schnauzers in my adult years lol). Anyway, it took a bit to get back used to living here, but it didn't take long at all.
Anyway, it took a bit to get back used to living here, but it didn't take long at all.
It has been happening in the USA/Canada for quite a while. Before the Jerusalem parishes were handed over to the EP in 2008, their American jurisdiction was mostly made up of such clergy who had problems with their bishops and did not want to face discipline. The semi-recently setup Georgian Diocese seems to slowly be taking on that role.
