In America

It seemed like I would never say those words but I am indeed, "In America."  I have been on U.S. soil for just over a month now, the majority of that time spent living at my parents' house in Colorado.  My parents were wonderful about making or taking me out for all those foods I spent two years fantasizing about, not to mention holding off on celebrating Christmas until I got home.  They also let me borrow their cars--though it took considerable convincing as seemingly they thought I'd forgotten how to drive in that span of time.  Rest assured, I am still quite nimble behind the wheel.  That said, because my parents live in the mountains at least 15 minutes from civilization, one of my major adjustments was not being able to walk out my front door and run an errand.

Besides the driving, there were many other things that felt strange despite the fact that I was back in my homeland.  At the grocery store, I had a flash of indecision about whether I was responsible for bagging my groceries or not.  After being in mostly homogenous countries, the blend of races catches my eye constantly and I had forgotten how common it is to hear people here speaking languages other than English.  Believe me though, my life is much easier now for the prevalence of English.  Being able to turn on the faucet and just drink the water still feels risky but luxurious.  Going into box stores like Target feels dreamlike--things that I struggled to get in Macedonia like sporting equipment  are right there at my fingertips.  Meeting up with other Peace Corps volunteers on U.S. soil was strange but terrific.  Seeing my friends' new houses and babies and whatnot was not nearly as terrifying as I had anticipated and in fact it's good to see them doing so well. 

A week ago, I flew out to Washington, DC where my job hunt is centered.  I must say that being unemployed is fairly stressful.  I am not sure how picky to be about the jobs I apply for, whether to look for a temp position or wait it out for something permanent, and I feel unproductive because I'm not "working."  Oh yeah, and there's that whole no income part stressing me out too.  On the plus side, I found a nice apartment to sublet for a month where I am rooming with a returned Peace Corps volunteer from Cameroon and I have a job interview next week so that's encouraging.  And when I venture out, I have fun trips down memory lane by seeing my old haunts and catching up with my DC-based friends.

Macedonia is never far from my mind.  It has been an extremely cold winter there--we're talking negative digit temperatures and several feet of snow--so for the sake of all my friends, I hope warmer weather arrives soon because you can only spend so much of the day sitting on your heater.  Occasionally I get updates about the latest happenings with the projects I supported and mostly it's good news.  It's easy to wish I could jump back in the action but there is something redeeming about knowing things are moving forward without me.  

Last but not least, here are a few photos from my first month back, enjoying being in America. More news as it comes...

Ice skating in Evergreen, CO with my sister-in-law and brother

Christmas in January celebrated at my parents' house

One of the deer that like to hang out in my parents' back yard

Bliss--eating a Chipotle burrito