I came home from the Peace Corps almost a month ago, and people keep asking if I’m sad to be home or if I’m bored. Honestly, no. I have been so happy since I’ve been home.
Part of me feels guilty for it, because I know that’s not the shared sentiment amongst those who had to return. I feel guilty because unlike me, the majority of Peace Corps volunteers had to leave before they were ready and before their two years were up.
Some went home to a place they escaped, some went home to uncertainty, and some didn’t even go home because they had to quarantine to not put their family at risk. There is so much uncertainty and anxiety brewing about what will come next… for everyone. I am someone who secretly enjoys uncertainty and risk and finds excitement in the unknown.
But I do have a home, and a family, and some luxuries to fall back on. I’m thankful to finally be home after three years of living abroad. I’m thankful for the little things like lighting a candle and getting the joy out of smelling spiced apple cinnamon or salted caramel, thankful for having a car I can get into to go pick up coffee with 15+ different options to choose from.
I’m thankful for living with my grandma, who at 88 still cooks homemade meals. I’m thankful for the sweatshirts and blankets to wrap myself around in to feel comfortably warm (a change from uncomfortably hot and sweating on the daily..) I’m thankful for hot showers and feeling clean! I’m thankful for the improved communication (even if it’s virtual) I’ve had with friends and family since getting home. Although I would have loved to see and hug them up close, I get joy out of knowing I will be able to soon.
I am so happy to be home, and that doesn’t take away from the amazing experience I had living in a foreign country, with another family. I miss that family and the friends I made there dearly! I’m happy I can still communicate with them regularly from afar.
But I really missed my mom, dad, grandma, and cousins (who also took me in for some days), and getting to see them in person every day, and laughing, exercising, and cooking together, has made me the happiest quarantiner ever.
Although this situation sucks, I’m thankful that I am stuck with a great family. Living abroad for three years has taught me many things, but one of them is how appreciative I am for my life and the people in it.
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A La Orden! 