It is just under 2 weeks now until I
will be making my way to Johannesburg for the grueling 24 hours on a plane and
some 10 hours in airports before I touch ground in Portland, Oregon for the
first time since I left on June 24th, 2014. It will be the first time being back in
the United States since I left also that 2 ½ years ago give or take a few
weeks. I am not sure what to
expect in these upcoming days and it really hasn’t begun to sink in that I will
be traveling home to see friends and family for the first time in a long
time. I have been trying to reflect
on how it will be like, how I will feel or act when I am home and how have I
changed in my time here in Swaziland and the Peace Corps. Some of me is nervous for how I will
survive, excited to be home with friends and family and all the good food and
drinks, how will my stomach survive that change, excited to be able to share
Swaziland with everyone, but nervous if they really care and how long I can
actually hold their attention before they get bored or sick of me talking about
Swaziland. I know all these things
are real life and will happen but I am thankful and grateful for the support of
my friends and family in the United States and my ones here in Swaziland.
Some
things I am most looking forward to when getting home is having Mexican food
waiting for me at the airport, not that Chipotle want to be Mexican food, but
the authentic stuff you find on the West Coast and in Oregon. I can’t wait to have a beer that does
not taste like Keystone or Coors light, but something with that dark rich taste
of chocolate and pumpkin spices. Being
able to get in a car and run to the grocery store, not worrying about how you
will carry everything home and having the AC going. Since it will be winter that won’t be happening, so being
able to turn the heater on or have a warm fire going while home. The smell of Thanksgiving food and
Christmas food and pumpkin pies and all those holiday smells including the real
Christmas tree. I can’t forget the
pumpkin spice lattes and having actual coffee at home or on the run in a cup
that is not Styrofoam and spilling all over you. Being able to use my phone and not worry about how much data
I will be slaying by using Instagram and the ability to download and watch all
the shows and movies I have missed since being here. I will be bringing them back to Swaziland so don’t worry
about that. Most of all it will be
being home with my family and seeing friends and being together for a full
5-weeks. It is time for me to
recharge and prepare for the last 9 months I will be spending in
Swaziland. Or that is how the plan
goes for now. We all know my
2-years has now turned into 3-years so who knows where the 3-year plan will go.
What am I nervous about? One is the fact of being back on the
other side of the road and all the traffic that will be happening. I have gotten used to the slower pace
of life here and not having to drive anywhere, or being allowed for that matter
in Swaziland to drive. Good thing
I have a younger brother who can drive me everywhere, even pick me up when we
are out with friends. I am nervous
about the richness of the food and drinks and my stomach adjusting to that
cause I know it will not like it at first. I am nervous about my patience with people when they
complain about something so “First World Problem” and not wanting to jump down
their throat. Life has gone by
since I have been here and people have moved, gotten married, had children and
started new jobs. Will it be the
same and coming home and expecting everyone to be the same and to pick up where
we left off? We all have our own
lives and the World continues to turn no matter what we are off doing. It will be exciting to hear about all
the change but will be difficult at first adjusting and getting back into the
life back home.
Some
people ask how has the Peace Corps changed you and it has been difficult for me
to answer that sometimes. I want
to say it hasn’t changed me much but I know it has and it can be easier for
others to see that but more difficult for the individual to notice their
change. They can be little changes
in your mannerism from the way you stand or sit to just little things you say
that have picked up from Swaziland.
I do know “Yebo” and “Eish” will be a common phrase my friends will hear
when I am home and will give my strange looks. It can also be the bigger things from my patience to how I
can get more frustrated now with the actions and the things other people choose
to talk about. Are you really
upset because they put whole milk in your latte instead of non-fat milk? I can’t tell you all the ways I have
changed and how the Peace Corps changes your outlook on life but I can tell you
it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made to join the Peace Corps
and have been extremely lucky to be blessed with living in a Country like
Swaziland.
My
time home will be filled with traveling to Seattle to see a best friend then
flying to Colorado to ski and be reunited with my best friend from the Peace
Corps to back to Seattle then down to Portland for some Peace Corps events and
talks then home for the last few weeks for Christmas. It makes me tired just reading that sentence. The time will be great and packed full
of adventure and activities but will go by too fast in the end. It is important to make time to rest
and just enjoy the time home and not look forward too much to coming back to
Swaziland. Our time with friends
and family must not be taken for granted and we need to enjoy all the time we
have with them from the talks that go late into the evening over drinks to
speeding down the slopes for the first time in a long time. I have a life here in Swaziland, I have
a life there in the United States, and I am looking forward to sharing all our
lives together and hopefully one day bringing them both together.
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| One of the first sunsets in Swaziland |
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| Our first taste of Swaziland |
Things I miss from the United States Things
I will miss from Swaziland
1. Friends and Family 1.
Friends and new Family
2. Coffee and Beer 2.
Chicken Dust and school beans
3. Mexican Food 3.
Buying a meal for $1.50
4. Driving in a Car 4.
Not worrying about a car
5. Snow and Skiing 5.
All the soccer played
6. Football Games 6.
The simplicity of life
7. Fast Internet and data 7.
Not worrying about my phone
8. Snow Storms 8.
Thunderstorms
