This post's challenge: What are the first things you made sure to do when you arrived home?
Hugged My Family.
I am incredibly grateful that I got to see my parents while I was abroad. They came to visit for a couple of weeks during my second year there. Despite having just seen them, though, I still missed them greatly. I missed my siblings immensely too, and I didn't see them the entire time I was gone. We have always been a close family, so it was hard to be separated by so many miles. I'm also grateful for the technology that allowed us to stay connected, but there's nothing like being in the presence of the people who are closest to your heart.
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| The Fam at Lake Erie |
Phoned My South African Family
Before leaving South Africa, I participated in the incoming Education group's training by facilitating a few sessions. This meant I left my village a couple of weeks prior to actually leaving the country, so there was a delay in the telling my South African family (host family and teachers) I was back in the US. They were aware of my plans; however, it still felt a little strange to say my goodbyes and still remain in the country a little longer. When I got back to the US, I didn't have access to a cell phone for a few days, which meant I couldn't contact my South African family right away. When I did get a phone, though, the first thing I did with it was to contact them to let them know I was okay. They were relieved to hear I was safe and expressed how they already missed me. I had already missed them too.
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| The Host Family |
Laughed with Friends.
As part of our homecoming, Michelle and I planned another epic road trip like the one we had done before leaving for the Peace Corps; except this time, we were going to drive it in reverse from Texas and Louisiana, up to Ohio, and across to Washington. Along the way, we made plans to stop and see our friends. It felt so, so great to see them. It was also kind of funny in that in the two years in between visits it donned on us that anything could have happened because in the same amount of time we might have gone without seeing each other due to the fact that we're all spread throughout the country. But then reality sunk in and that there were changes: some of us had been abroad, some of us had children, some of us changed jobs, and all of us experienced life changes. It was wonderful reconnecting with our friends and reminding ourselves that love extends beyond family.
