I've been home almost a week now. Tuesday morning will be exactly one week. The transition back came much easier than I imagined, which is what I feared. I've since slowly moved from listening to Latino artists like Plan B, Juan Luis Guerra, and Romeo Santos to the indie Malaysian artist Yuna, reggae artist Alton Ellis, and Alicia Keys. I no longer hesitate to throw toilet paper in the bowl itself, I'm back to an all vegan diet, and I've already snatched a few items from my older sister's wardrobe. Yep, it's almost as if I never left. One of my friend's from studying abroad told me that he's afraid of the whole experience turning into a dream. And every time he began to reminisce about our time in the Dominican Republic I would tell him not too. I suppose I feared the end all along. Now that its over, it all does seem like a dream. No one truly understands what I've just experienced. A phone call from my best friend from the trip brought it all back to me, and for a moment I felt at ease. There's some things you never want to forget, for that reason I took up photography. The pictures give a snippet of an event, a day, a moment that impacted me. My dilemma now is learning how to remember the stories, the experiences, the achievements of these past four months. I feel different, but I don't know if I seem different. Travel does that to you. I heard a Fulbright ETA fellow make a statement about traveling to different countries. This quote reflects my personal experience.
"...It changes you... living abroad. You always take something away with you. And it makes your worldview more complete. And it makes you more open to new experiences and it makes you a more interesting person." -Elly Hopper (Colombia ETA 2011-2012).
I also came across another quote that relates to my sentiments about departing a place you've come to know, and returning to a place you once knew. I've never really been a quote collecting person, but these two have really helped me understand this transition.
“You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a
place, like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the
person you are now at this time and this place, because you’ll never be
this way ever again.”
-Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran
On another note, and because I'm such a list person, I thought I'd try to document some changes I've experienced in the last week. So here's what's new in my life:
1. I'm embracing the
holidays full force. Christmas music 24/7, spiced drinks, and plenty of festive sweaters
2. I'm now a thrifter... I didn't really trust my
thrift shopping skills before this trip, but since I've returned it's all I do.
3. I've caught up with some
old friends, one is my best friend from high school and the other my sorority sister who moved to NY last winter. Love that we were able to just pick up where we left off.
4. I've made my motto
Mind, Body, and Soul... Three things that I think encompass so much (my faith walk, academics, nutrition/physical fitness, etc.). I think I'll take this with me into the New Year.
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