7 Ways Life Abroad Prepared Us for Tiny Living
We moved from a 4000 sq. ft. home in Ethiopia to 250 sq. ft. in an old school bus that we renovated into a tiny home in America. As I am writing this now, it sounds so crazy, and to be honest it has been crazy. But let me tell you, living in Ethiopia really prepared me for tiny-bus-life in America. If I had moved from a normal house in America—with all the modern conveniences—straight into a tiny house on wheels, I would not have survived. In fact, the bus is actually an upgrade in living for us.
Here are seven reasons how Africa prepared us for tiny mobile living:
1. High-Highs and Low-Lows: Living in Africa was full of magical moments where the stars aligned. I remember driving through the mountains of Ethiopia on many occasions, delivering stoves with the love of my life, and asking myself: “How did we get to live this life together?” We were walking out our calling and purpose, and there is no better feeling in the world. Within three hours (or minutes) of any high-purpose-filled moment, I am guaranteed to have a record low moment that might include—but is not limited to—flat tires, bed bugs, and food poisoning (these may or may not be real-life examples). As many of you know, amazing highs and really bad lows just come with the territory in the developing world.
Well, lucky for us, the bus is affording us the same high-highs and low-lows and we feel right at home. A real-life example from bus living; we finally got on the open road in our renovated bus after months of preparing, we were cruising down the road wondering how we got to live this life filled with adventure, and within three minutes there was smoke billowing from the engine. We were then parked on the side of the road for two nights in 25-degree weather (that would be the low part of the story).
2. We Can’t Flush the Toilet: By the time I left Ethiopia I had no toilets working in my house. I was just flushing the toilet with a bucket of water, as I am sure many of you do on a regular basis. When I first moved to Africa almost seven years ago, the thought of flushing the toilet with a bucket was totally foreign, and now it is honestly, normal. In our renovated bus we don’t have broken toilets, just a composting toilet that requires no flushing at all. You pee in the front and do the solids in the back. This toilet is a massive upgrade from what we were dealing with in Ethiopia because it actually works!
3. The Water Situation: In Ethiopia we got water once a week for 24 hours. I would fill up tanks of water to, hopefully, last us the week. As you can imagine, we would run out of water a lot. Then air would get in the pipes. Then, I would become a plumber bleeding pipes. Finally, I would find myself ordering a truck of water to refill our tanks. We got used to going without water and making do with dirty clothes and no showers. Well, we also have water limitations in the bus. They are no big deal compared to the water problems we had in Africa. Frozen pipes, no big deal!
4. The Breakdowns (vehicle, as well as emotional): Who else could write a whole book about vehicle breakdowns in the desert? I’ve got countless breakdown stories from Ethiopia—in the middle of the night with the car overheating in the middle of nowhere; gas lines busting in the desert in the heat of the day; my husband sleeping in the car when something again broke on the way back from Afar (an actual region of Ethiopia). Guess what? We are only two months in and we have bus breakdown stories. Our last breakdown happened when our second fuel line busted, in the desert, an hour outside of Las Vegas. Yikes! If there is one thing I have learned from breakdowns, it’s to always have good food and drinks on hand. Breakdowns just aren’t as bad with Moscow mules and charcuterie.
5. Listening to the Rhythms of Life: Living a life that I can’t control has left me more open to what the rhythms around me are trying to say. Ethiopia was definitely a steep learning curve in listening to the rhythms around me, because if I didn’t, I would just be frustrated with the lack of internet, electricity, and water. If I gave in to those rhythms I found the gifts in store for me with a candlelit dinner or reading instead of surfing the internet. There are new rhythms here in this bus, rhythms that are calling my name as we learn to live in closer proximity to each other and rhythms that want me to flex and flow with this travel lifestyle. I can fight them or I can find the gift—just as I learned to find the gifts in Ethiopia.
6. Downsizing: Did I mentioned that we had all our earthly belongings (except family photo albums) with us in a 4000 sq. ft house in Ethiopia and we moved into 250 sq ft?
Let me tell you, the best way to downsize to a minimalist is to move via plane where you have to pay $180 for every extra bag. I have never purged my stuff so quickly. I would look at each item and ask; if I don’t take this back to America will I have to re-buy it? If the answer was no, then it was definitely a goner. We got down to 8 checked bags, two carry-on rollers, a car seat, a diaper bag, a briefcase, and a dog. We actually have extra space in our bus-house and we are trying to keep it that way!
7. God Showing up for Us: Africa and the bus are both adventures where we feel out of our depth. I remember in those first few months in Ethiopia feeling helpless that I didn’t even know who to call to fix a broken breaker box, know where to buy groceries or who to ask for help when my baby was sick. We really saw God show up for us: running into an electrician at dinner, or a surprise friend that showed me the best market in town, or the visiting American doctor that made a house call when my baby was sick. I have spent many days since we moved into the bus feeling helpless about how to get the bus towed, or how to stay warm at night, or blowing out our fridge when we plugged it into the wrong voltage. But God is showing up for us in these moments, not always how we expect or want but always just how we need.
I am now just seeing how living in Ethiopia grew me as I am facing challenges here on the bus. A few years ago these challenges would have seemed impossible for me. While living in Ethiopia, I felt like we were trying to push a 1000 lbs rock up a hill and it just wouldn't move! You might feel that same way in your life—like that huge rock you are trying to move isn’t going anywhere. But I can guarantee that you are strengthening your spiritual muscles. The resistance of that heavy mountain-sized rock is making you powerful. Now when you give that boulder a little shove, it will roll right up that hill.
What ways have living overseas strengthened you for challenges? How are you seeing yourself bulk up and grow through the trials of life overseas?
