…And your guide to avoiding them.<\/p>\n
“How does it feel to be home?”\u00a0<\/em>Well, I actually don’t know what “home” means. The place I’ve lived longest? The place I live now? The country of my birth? Do I spin a wheel to select one of my fifteen houses as home? Also, “How do you feel to be somewhere” is an extremely ambiguous question. You try answering how it feels to be home. Specific questions are much easier to answer.<\/p>\n “Say something in Spanish (Mandarin, Portuguese, French, whatever) for me.”\u00a0<\/em>This request is a cue for my brain to go completely blank, in all the languages I know. Again, being specific helps. Try, “How do you say, ‘I have a large wart on my nose’ in Spanish?” That I can answer.<\/p>\n “I know just how you feel. I spent three months in another country and left my heart there.”\u00a0<\/em>Hahahahahaha, no. No you don’t. You were just in the first days of the honeymoon stage, honey. You don’t have any idea. Why don’t you simply express your admiration for the other country without pretending you know exactly what the missionary feels like.<\/p>\n “So, are you adjusted yet?”\u00a0<\/em>Tell me, what exactly is this “adjusted” you speak of? Am I used to having green grass and pure white walls everywhere I look? Is my heart done missing the country I left? Am I no longer overwhelmed by large crowds of Americans doing ‘Merican things? Explain. You could try saying something like, “How is the job search going?” or “Are you enjoying your new house?”<\/p>\n Any degrading comment about the country they’ve come from- bland food, annoying “natives”, dumb culture, whatever.\u00a0<\/em>You know how it is when someone criticizes your family? They might annoy you to no end, but let any outsider say a bad word against them, and your hackles will rise and your teeth will bare. It’s sort of the same feeling when you criticize their chosen country. Besides, many of those remarks are born out of ignorance, so take Proverbs to heart and look wise by keeping your mouth shut.<\/p>\n Scared to talk to returning missionaries yet? \ud83d\ude42 Don’t be. If you say the wrong thing, don’t worry, they’ve probably heard it a dozen times before, and they won’t despise you for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" …And your guide to avoiding them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[92,94],"tags":[98,131,229],"class_list":["post-4001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships","category-travel","tag-annoying","tag-missions","tag-tcks"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_1007.jpg?fit=4032%2C3024","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8A8kG-12x","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3033,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=3033","url_meta":{"origin":4001,"position":0},"title":"Fine Wine Versus Plexus Slim","author":"Rachel","date":"April 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Aging. It's a funny thing, isn't it. We humans try desperately to cling to the remaining vestiges of our youth in an attempt to ignore the inevitable. As I'm practically a babe in the woods still, I don't have much experience with aging. And yet, I find it knocking on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=91"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/pexels-photo-370984.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/pexels-photo-370984.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/pexels-photo-370984.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/pexels-photo-370984.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/pexels-photo-370984.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5155,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=5155","url_meta":{"origin":4001,"position":1},"title":"Haiku to the Men Using Jack Hammers Outside My Bedroom Window for the Past Months","author":"Rachel","date":"October 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"...At UNGODLY hours of the morning.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Downtown adventures"","block_context":{"text":"Downtown adventures","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=86"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/img_0550.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/img_0550.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/img_0550.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/img_0550.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/img_0550.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5915,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=5915","url_meta":{"origin":4001,"position":2},"title":"Day 22: Countries Quiz","author":"Rachel","date":"February 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: are you any good at geography? A friend introduced me to this countries quiz some time ago, and the first time I took it, I did horribly. Embarrassingly, dreadfully awful. Determination set in, and I retook it over and over, dozens of times over the course of weeks, until\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Travel"","block_context":{"text":"Travel","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=94"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pexels-photo-269633.jpg?fit=1132%2C750&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pexels-photo-269633.jpg?fit=1132%2C750&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pexels-photo-269633.jpg?fit=1132%2C750&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pexels-photo-269633.jpg?fit=1132%2C750&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pexels-photo-269633.jpg?fit=1132%2C750&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8387,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=8387","url_meta":{"origin":4001,"position":3},"title":"How to Become a Reader","author":"Rachel","date":"April 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It is not uncommon for me to stumble across conversations where I hear people remark sadly, \"I wish I were a reader.\" Well, as someone who is a reader, although of a lesser variety than some hardy folks, I am happy to offer a few tips to go from non-reader\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=83"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/DSCF3445-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6998,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=6998","url_meta":{"origin":4001,"position":4},"title":"Giveaway for Book Lovers","author":"Rachel","date":"January 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: We have winners! Congrats to Alyssa R for winning Mansfield Park, Vanya for winning Garlic and Sapphires, and Shianne Kropf for winning Canterbury Tales. The only thing more fun than finding a perfectly delicious book is forcing all your friends to read it as well. (Don't ask my friends\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=83"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_6964.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_6964.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_6964.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_6964.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/IMG_6964.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8331,"url":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?p=8331","url_meta":{"origin":4001,"position":5},"title":"Anti-Bucket List","author":"Rachel","date":"June 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"I have the worst addiction to lists. Give me a blank google doc and a bunch of bullet points to fill and I\u2019m as happy as a clam. You know those people who would gladly make lists to organize their lists? That\u2019s me. I am those people. I also love\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Musings"","block_context":{"text":"Musings","link":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/?cat=91"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/img_0813-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/img_0813-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/img_0813-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/img_0813-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/img_0813-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4001"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5071,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4001\/revisions\/5071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.stripedpineapple.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}