I had the best surprise for my birthday this year! I got to come home for my birthday - my first bday at home in Colorado since I turned 21. I got to see old friends :) Hang out with my entire family, go trail running, make sushi, do yoga, play with my dog, drink coffee and have great conversations, visit old College stomping grounds, have sleep-overs, go to our cabin, play tennis, see the first signs of fall, watch the Rockies and eat a Rockie dog, drink micro-brews, ride my bike, go shopping at Target at 9pm, hug my mom, eat large amounts of Mexican, sandwiches, sushi, visit Mr. Bobby's class, drive ...
A few questions everyone was asking:
"Is it weird to be home?" NO. Honestly, not at all, well - I guess everything was sparklingly clean and I had to be reminded to flush my TP and that I could drink tap water, but other than that Colorado was awesome in a familiar "that's exactly what I missed" kind of way. I'm guessing my sub-two week trip didn't qualify me to go through reverse culture shock, so I'll let you know about that after my PC service. Oh, and there are ENDLESS options in the US ... going to the grocery store or ordering from a menu took at least double the BPC (Before Peace Corps) time.
"What do you DO down there?" LOTS and LOTS of different stuff everyday is the simple answer ... the long answer, read my next blog entry, I've included some projects I hope to continue for the next year.
"Do you have friends down there?" Honestly, I spend a lot of time with my host family - my best friends are a 37 year old woman and her 12 year old daughter. I spend a lot of time during the day at work, and there are a great group of women who I'm learning how to gossip with. Every once in a while, I break out the dancing shoes and hit up a graduation party or disco with some local friends - and yes, we ALWAYS party till 4 or 5 in the morning :) Some of the coolest people I've met are PCVs ... while the closest one lives 35 + minutes away from me, It's always a blast when I get to visit or be visited by PCVs - life long friends.
"Have you tried Guinea Pig" Yes, and, it DOES taste like chicken. If you want a try, we'll make you some, just come visit!!
"Do you like it there?" Ecuador has been an amazing experience and continues to be different and challenging everyday. I love my work and my host family. Some days are better than others, and I'm learning how to ride the successes with the failures. Living in a different culture and being committed to the same job for two years has pushed me outside of my box countless times. Ecuador is an amazing country filled with fantastic people who are always ready to laugh or dance.
"What did you miss the most from the US?" The people and being able to sit and have a good conversation; good beer and wine; my family, trail running; pet dogs; dating; yoga and endless saldo ...
"What are you doing after?" I've considered doing a 3rd year as a PCVL in Quito (you work at the PC office). I want to backpack up through Central America on my way back to CO, and then have a seasonal job waiting for me at a ski resort and then stick around for summer and probably live there forever (open a yoga studio). I've considered going back to graduate school - Environmental Economics, Social Business, Non-Profit Management. I've also wanted to get an apartment somewhere, get a job (not a 9-5, but one of those work-from-home jobs). Obviously, I have no idea. I should sit down and think about that.
"How's your Spanish?" It's getting there. I mean, I can have conversations in Spanish, but it's still not to the level I want. I often find myself frustrated because I can't find the right words or phrases to express my feelings/ situation. I hope it will come with time, but for now, it will just makes me respect words and people's ability to communicate successfully through them. My Uncle asked me "so, if you were to hit your hand with a hammer, would you shout in Spanish or English?" A close friend told me ... you need to find an Ecuadorian boyfriend. haha, both good pieces of advice.
My vacation to Colorado went way too fast, but it was great. It helped me realize people are people - we are the same all over the world (well, in Ecuador and the U.S.). Yes, we do have different cultures, histories, opportunities and personalities - but that's what makes us human. We all want friends and someone to love us ("some one to tell the pains of our lives to" - my driver at work during a heart-to-heart yesterday), we all like to have fun and don't like it when people around us are upset. There are also "good" and "bad" people everywhere - usually defined by local norms and customs. Some people you don't get along with, and some you do (and when you do, oh man, what an amazing feeling). People love to learn and be encouraged, hate to be told they are stupid, need to express themselves, often have self-esteem issues and want to be part of something. My trip to Colorado helped me tie my two lives together, things don't feel quite so odd or unfamiliar anymore.
Unfortunately, I have no photos ... I had to order a new camera charger and got it right before I came back to Ecuador. See ya in February!!
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