“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America has been intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” – Matt
Take a bridge
I know bridges are expensive infrastructure projects to get travelers across an obstacle like water or ravines. However, bridges over time become a landmark, symbol, and point of identification for a community.
When in the States our sons would ride their bikes to school crossing the bridge that spans over the nearby river. I love to cross that bridge and see who is fishing or to enjoy the colorful leaves in autumn or the ice in winter on the river. The bridge also serves as a barometer of our changing communities. That modern bridge is the third one on that spot with a covered bridge being there before.
In my first year overseas, I learned what it meant to “take a bridge.” Other countries are much more advanced than the USA in finding ways to get more holiday time away from work and school. When a holiday is on Tuesday or Thursday, they “take a bridge” – taking off the Monday or Friday to get a four-day weekend.
In the second city abroad that we lived in, the authorities were removing a major bridge that was relatively new. It was built so poorly that it was no longer safe to cross. The irony was that this city was formerly inhabited by the Romans and was still using a Roman- built bridge wide enough for pedestrians and two-way city traffic including buses – it was over a 1,000 years old! I was too clueless to have realized that I should not have been worrying about crossing the river on the old bridge, but rather the new one!
Something similar ever happen to you? Contact me and let me hear your story!
mattsmishaps@gmail.com Matt’s Mishaps, PO BOX 114, Grabill, IN 46741
