I'm reached the midway point when I have a difficult time holding on to my life here. My focus is already beginning to shift to what life will be like back in the United States, and to be perfectly honest, it scares me. I know I will adjust, I know it will be fine, but I also know that it will be difficult. And at times, very sad. Leaving my students especially, will cause me to miss this place.
So, I have decided to compile a list of things I miss about living in the United States:
- My family
- Dishwashers
- Clothes wash and dryer
- Fast internet
- Having more than 1 set of sheets (though, if I had a washer and dryer, this would be less of an issue)
- Having more than 1 towel
- Reliable electricity
- Less corruption
- Not being leered at
- Not struggling to understand the things that are said to me
- Fitting in
- Reese's
- Quiet
- Having places to go camping
- Easier travel
- Smooth roads
- Humanity toward animals and people
- Spayed and neutered animals (the alternative is poisoning the trash once a month, or so)
- Access to books
- Drinking water from the tap
- Vegetables that don't have to be bleached
- Not wondering if every stomach hiccup is going to be another bout of food poisoning
- Not having parasites
- Knowing that no one will be prescribed Amoxicillian for pain
- Being able to use a more extensive vocabulary
On the other hand, as I wrote most of these, there was an upside to the way they are here. Washing my clothes and dishes by hand is very therapeutic and forces you to slow down the pace of life. It makes you plan. I really enjoy being challenged to understand another language. It's also nice sometimes to NOT fit in. Or to know that the noise level is because of being close to everything, which is great. Travel here may take longer and be more of a hassle, but it's also really interesting. I like the cobble stone streets. I know that not everyone in the States is Humane either, and many people here are. At least I have tons of fresh vegetables. My stomach has gotten really strong. I can get antibiotics for myself easily (and I know that I won't abuse them).
Here I have the following advantages:
- I can walk everywhere
Walking everywhere, means constantly running into people I know- I get exercise and fresh air every day!
- The mountains are beautiful
- The animals that we use on a regular basis, are also a part of our regular lives
- I get to be more involved in my students' lives
- People can holler up to my window and invite me places
- My phone is pay as I go
- I prepare and eat real, good food all the time
- Life goes at a pace that I can feel and absorb the little moments
- I've gotten to know another culture, and another people
I've gotten to know another language- I have a tight community
- I live alone
- I have a turtle
- Even after a year and a half (+) everything is still interesting
- I have developed so many small, but daily relationships with the people I see
- I learned to cook here
- I've learned what I can live without
- I've seen religion through the eyes of a different people
- I've seen Americans through the eyes of a different people (both good and bad)
- I love the flora here
- Medical care is cheap
- I have a gas stove top
- I live in harmony with several types of wasps, ants, and spiders
While writing this list, I find that most of what I love I don't know how to put into words. I went to San Pedro last week, and it was amazing. There is no event or explanation that I can explain to another person, it was just the company, the feel, and the stories we shared. My life here is similar. That, and I've grown into myself here. I am stronger, more sure, more aware, and more willing. I still have many things I struggle with, but I feel like this put my life-progress on the fast tract. There's a big part of my that doesn't want to leave that, but if I stay, I'll just get comfortable, and there's more in store for me.
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