“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!”
—Matt
Reluctantly going into EMT mode
We and our kids have really enjoyed having visits from Americans over the years. They help keep us up-to-date with the newest changes that are happening back home. We live overseas in a place that is quite different than most people’s home Stateside, which is good and bad. Good, because they get to enjoy unique ways the Lord has made places around the globe. The extreme differences are also bad, as it requires me to reluctantly go into the “EMT mode” sometimes. I do have advanced first aid certifications, and if you get in our vehicle you can consider it a “civilian ambulance” as you will find a large first aid kit, vomit bags, wet wipes, walkie-talkies and a back bench seat that lies flat. However, I’d prefer not to be put into service.
The extreme differences are bad, because all the unique things are a big distraction for many. I remember a couple walking around with me, and the wife was looking up at all the attractions as she was pointing out things to her husband. She didn’t see a set of a dozen steep, sharp volcanic rock steps in front of her. She said, “Look dear it is … aaaah!” and she never finished her sentence as she rolled down the steps. No problem, we drug her to my van and patched her up enough to get her to the emergency room. She enjoyed the rest of her trip using crutches for a sprained ankle.
The extreme differences are bad, because all the unique opportunities make some people get a “superman complex” where they think they are capable of doing things they couldn’t do Stateside (or have never even tried). We bring sports teams over from America. A long-distance runner once entered into the steeplechase (without training) – the event where you cross over fixed, wooden barriers with one barrier having a drop into a water pit. Maybe you have seen it in the Olympics? Well, this gal cleared the wooden barrier fine, but landed poorly in the water pit, fell, and had others collide with her. Yes, I took her on a road trip to the emergency room, and she enjoyed the rest of her trip on crutches.
The extreme differences are also bad, because all the unique things get people into a “Disneyworld mentality” where everything seems like it must be safe. We do tell people, “Don’t walk on manhole covers, they may not be stable here.” “Don’t lean on rusty railings here at overlooks, it might not hold you.” We once had a couple guys go down to the coast and assume it was safe to try to body surf, even with a warning flag flying. They told me they had gotten really battered in the waves and a few days later, smelly, green ooze was coming from their ears. Yes, I took them on a road trip to the hospital as they had gotten water contaminated with bacteria slammed into their ears. They looked a bit comical with large patches of gauze taped to their ears.
The normal, humdrum, mundane, and unexciting things of our home-town life are sure preferred by a person reluctant to go into “EMT mode.”
Something similar ever happen to you? Contact me and let me hear your story!
Matt’s Mishaps, PO BOX 114, Grabill, IN 46741
