Three Weeks

Three weeks from today it will be August 9th, and I will arrive back in the US after a little more than a year in Tanzania.

In the last couple of weeks in Mogo, the university has let out for summer holidays and many people have left, so life has been relatively quiet. Thus, I've had a lot of time to think about what it's going to be like going home.

Obviously it's a bit strange to try prepare yourself for being back in the US. After all, it has been my home for the vast majority of my 28 years, how strange can it be? Still, I can't imagine it won't be a little weird... I somehow picture myself running off the plane, buying Junior Mints and ordering soy latte's, while shoving pretzels in my mouth and staring wide-eyed at all the bright lights. (Let's all hope this scene will be avoided).

And while I do look forward to some Junior Mints, pretzels and latte's (but probably not all at once), I doubt that the availability of chain-coffee stores and more junk food will be what strikes me about being back. The thing is, I don't really know what will strike me about being back. I think that's the toughest part of trying to prepare to go home. What will feel weird? What will seem different? Or will nothing seem different and that will be the weird part?

In past travel ventures, the experience being back goes something like this: initial euphoria at being home, clean clothes! an actual (hot) shower! your own bed! your favorite foods! you see all your friends and hug all your family and run around in a jet-lagged frenzy for a few days high on the excitement of being back. and then,....what?

It's hard to put your finger on exactly why, but I think one of the hard things about coming home, that "let down" you often feel after the first few days back, is something about having been in a situation that challenged and stretched you, almost constantly, for a long time and now suddenly life is just, well, normal. And it can be hard to switch back to that speed.

When I get home I'll be spending an action-packed week in MN that will involve a lot of a) seeing friends b) eating c) day drinking and d) kissing babies (but not necessarily in that order). And then I'll be heading out on an epic road trip to North Carolina with my dear friend Kristi and have just under a week to get settled before school starts.

It's going to be a little crazy (not exactly "normal" speed), and while I do wish I had more time before school starts, I think the fast-paced-ness of it will actually be good for me. It will give me something to dive into and to put my energy into. And it will give me a new place to explore and most importantly a new challenge to focus on. I think coming home without an outlet to focus your mental energy into would be tough.

As I hang out in Mogo my last few weeks, doing nothing much in particular, I'm taking time to enjoy the mundane-ness of it all: going out for a run, buying vegetables at the market, sitting outside in the evening drinking a beer, reading a book. There's not much going on here, and while sometimes I do get a little bored, I'm also enjoying it. Because I know in a few short weeks I won't have the chance to go to bed at 9:30pm if I'm tired or decide to make pizza sauce, just because. Life in the US will be back, and it will be busy and full and slightly chaotic. And I'm excited for that; I look forward to that. But I know I will miss TZ and being here.

So for right now, I'm trying to savor every moment of my last 3 weeks, and especially the quiet ones. I'm sure the Junior Mints, lattes, and all the rest of it will be there for me when I get back.