Homeward Bound

Soundtrack of this post: Magic Trick by She & Him

Hello everyone,
I'm back home. Enjoying the plushness of a couch as a write my first blog post in a long while. I'm not sure how to honestly tell you about my new life since now the people involved in my stories will likely be reading this (hi Mom!).

I shall try to frame this is as a tale of one transition, a tale for other PCVS coming home.

My transition went very well. Never had a freak out moment. Never had a panic attack about the largeness or the whiteness or any difference really. Fit right back into life. Here are the things that helped me. I had a place to go. Thank goodness my parents accepted me back with open arms so alas, I am not homeless. I was able to return to a familiar place. I've been able to revert a bit (in a completely healthy way) and feel comfortable. My extended family gave me some space when I got back. Visits were spaced out, days apart and plenty of time was given for just me and my immediate family. This is a big deal since my extended family is quite large. I have an event coming up that warrants me not being able to get a job immediately. Three weeks (and one week from now) from arriving my sister's wedding is occurring. Wedding prep (or my version of lounging around waiting for the wedding) is a great excuse. My stomach took about 4 days to adjust but my sleep schedule only took a couple - flying eastward back home is good for jet lag.

Triumphs of the last three weeks -- I have not regretted my decision for even one second, so it must have been a good one. I have finally been able to stop taking malaria medication and my body is enjoying a detox. I still know how to drive a car - it really just comes back from muscle memory.

So here is a list of random things that struck me upon returning -
While in the Kenyan airport, in the public restroom, the inside of my nose was burning. At first I thought it was paint thinner. After a minute I realized it was just bathroom cleaner with bleach but my sense of smell wasn't used to it.
In the parking structure at the Detroit airport, the smell of diesel exhaust smelled lovely.
White people are strange looking and I'm not used to so many overweight people.
I don't understand why people here don't just run around getting a million things done quickly purely because completing something quickly is actually an option here.
Social étiquette is a puzzle to me, even in my own culture, which is disconcerting.