on gratitude

I am home. Well, I'm staying with my little sister and her husband, who have been generous enough to let me use their extra room during this transition. Transition to what? I don't know...
I haven't made any firm decisions yet because I'm still jet-lagged and foggy-brained, but I am thinking of re-enrolling and trying to go to South America. Or maybe I'll stay here and learn to teach yoga. Who knows?

I arrived in LA last Thursday and attended my grandmother's memorial on Friday. I was exhausted and teary, but very comforted by the presence of my family. As I've said before, this whole evacuation has been difficult and jarring, but my family has been so supportive and I feel so grateful.

It's funny being back home. Everything is so clean and organized and well-labeled here. (I love going to the grocery stores!) But I am not experiencing the culture shock that I thought I would. Even after two months in Niger, I was completely overwhelmed by coming home to such vastly different living conditions. Now, maybe since I've done it before, I'm just recognizing the difference without too much surprise.
It's funny how quickly I can fall into old routines and rituals. Even though I have been brushing my teeth outside with a water bottle, squatting over a latrine, and taking bucket baths for the past three and a half months, it's pretty easy to go back to the luxuries of running water, toilets and showers. However, now, when I am doing these things, I am silently acknowledging the change, and I am grateful to be able to perform these rituals in both ways.

People keep asking me what I've learned from this experience. I tell them compassion and patience. (Well, these were things I knew already, but like most people, continually forget. Life is about forgetting and remembering and forgetting again!)
I have also learned how to carry water on my head, how to wash clothes with a washboard, how to use a latrine sans toilet paper, and how to teach math (shout-out to Madame Emily here!)
People keep asking me what is next. I don't know yet. But I will never forget my Peace Corps Guinea experience or the wonderful people I met there.

So I think I'll be leaving this blog for a while, at least until my next Peace Corps adventure, inshallah!
Please send loving vibes to Guinea, in the hopes that a democratic and non-violent government will soon be possible, and that Peace Corps can soon return to help out with the other stuff.
I am thankful to all of you for your support.
Love and peace,

Jess