When the astronauts of the space program return to earth they call it re-entry. From Mercury to Gemini to Apollo to the Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions all astronauts go through re-entry. Re-entry from space involves all the necessary preparation and then the intentionality of “heading home.” The transition is from one world to another – from weightlessness to experiencing the full forces of gravity. As the space craft ploughs through the atmosphere and begins to slow down the astronauts experience increased G-forces – they experience extreme pressure. They are also cut off from communications because of the ionization occurring around the craft. Finally they land (or splashdown like in the old days) and they are back home – home to a world that is much as they left it but a world they see as very different from their experiences.
This has been my 5th re-entry from Cambodia and each one has been a different experience. As I reflected on my return home this time I was reminded of the astronaut re-entry process. The experience “away” is in many ways “other-worldly.” Cambodia is a very foreign culture to us. It is also a country that was dismantled to the point of the stone-age by the Khmer Rouge and in the last 30 years has clawed its way into the 21st century. Svay Pak is another world itself where children are a commodity to be bought and sold and used and abused at the sick whims of adults who see these children as objects to be used for their own obscene gratification.
I have returned to the world I left but I’ve been in another world. I’ve experienced the increased pressures in returning to the “regular world” while still holding this “other world” in my soul. Those increased pressures we often refer to as culture shock and reverse culture shock but it is more than just that because our experiences were not just of another culture but of a very real evil. The increased pressure – the increased G-force – has been difficult.
In re-entry astronauts also experience communication “blackout.” As much as they might want to communicate with Mission Control and as much as Mission Control wants to communicate with them, they cannot. Much of the Field Team has experienced “communication blackout.” Some times it is too difficult to express what we’ve experienced and some times we just haven’t processed it enough to be able to express it – some things we never will. It is also difficult for the Home Team who want to hear but who are also going through something of overload as they’ve carried on in the regular world and supported the Field Team and families throughout. But there others who only want to hear that we had a “nice” trip and close themselves off from the pain of what we would share.
I’ve been in another world and returned to the regular world. I am so thankful to be back with my family. My family has always been very high in my priorities. This time in Cambodia has only served to reinforce the importance of my family to me and my relationship with each of these people I love so much.
Of course return to the regular world also means dealing with all the regular world stuff – this is my place of struggle. After being immersed in a world where every move is done with intentionality and is therefore meaningful, returning to the regular world to find conflict over the insignificant, debate over trifling matters and valuable time spent on self-gratification…well let’s just say my patience is a little thin at the moment. I am not suggesting that only things like the child-sex-trade are important but this experience does have an impact on one’s priorities.
We are home but our lives are changed.
We are home but we cannot look at the regular world the ways we did just a few weeks ago.
This has been my 5th re-entry from Cambodia and each one has been a different experience. As I reflected on my return home this time I was reminded of the astronaut re-entry process. The experience “away” is in many ways “other-worldly.” Cambodia is a very foreign culture to us. It is also a country that was dismantled to the point of the stone-age by the Khmer Rouge and in the last 30 years has clawed its way into the 21st century. Svay Pak is another world itself where children are a commodity to be bought and sold and used and abused at the sick whims of adults who see these children as objects to be used for their own obscene gratification.
I have returned to the world I left but I’ve been in another world. I’ve experienced the increased pressures in returning to the “regular world” while still holding this “other world” in my soul. Those increased pressures we often refer to as culture shock and reverse culture shock but it is more than just that because our experiences were not just of another culture but of a very real evil. The increased pressure – the increased G-force – has been difficult.
In re-entry astronauts also experience communication “blackout.” As much as they might want to communicate with Mission Control and as much as Mission Control wants to communicate with them, they cannot. Much of the Field Team has experienced “communication blackout.” Some times it is too difficult to express what we’ve experienced and some times we just haven’t processed it enough to be able to express it – some things we never will. It is also difficult for the Home Team who want to hear but who are also going through something of overload as they’ve carried on in the regular world and supported the Field Team and families throughout. But there others who only want to hear that we had a “nice” trip and close themselves off from the pain of what we would share.
I’ve been in another world and returned to the regular world. I am so thankful to be back with my family. My family has always been very high in my priorities. This time in Cambodia has only served to reinforce the importance of my family to me and my relationship with each of these people I love so much.
Of course return to the regular world also means dealing with all the regular world stuff – this is my place of struggle. After being immersed in a world where every move is done with intentionality and is therefore meaningful, returning to the regular world to find conflict over the insignificant, debate over trifling matters and valuable time spent on self-gratification…well let’s just say my patience is a little thin at the moment. I am not suggesting that only things like the child-sex-trade are important but this experience does have an impact on one’s priorities.
We are home but our lives are changed.We are home but we cannot look at the regular world the ways we did just a few weeks ago.
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