Three Months Later...

First of all, I honestly can hardly believe that it has been about three months since my return. It certainly does not feel like it has been that long.

Countless people have been bugging me recently about how my blog entries simply stopped when I returned to the States. I have had many questions about how my transition back to the U.S. has been and requests that I talk a little bit about that. So, here it goes...

It was a bit difficult for me to transition into being back in the States. At first, it didn't seem very difficult, as I was swamped with things to do for Rotary (presentations, report, etc) which kept me very busy. However, once that all settled down, reality began to sink in. I quickly began to miss my host families, my friends, speaking French, the weather and the sun (and the beach), taxis and public transportation, not to mention my whole way of life in Senegal. Of course it is also wonderful to be back home where I can hang with my family, understand the majority of conversations going on around me, have easy access to all sorts of foods (particularly Mexican), and see old friends again.

A question I've repeatedly been asked since coming home is: Am I bothered by all the wealth and excess in this country since returning from Senegal? And the answer: No more than I was bothered by it before I went on my trip, which is a lot. In Senegal I truly learned that I can live with a lot less than what I have. This realization led to many trips to Second Mile House (a local donation center) to drop off many things that I own but rarely to never use.

When I first got back I was bothered by television and cell phones. I rarely turned the television on and often left my cell phone in my room all day. That has since changed a bit, however I still don't use them quite like I did a year ago.

I dislike having to get in my car to get just about anywhere. I miss walking and taxis. Driving your own car takes away a lot of possibilities to meet and talk with people, and I miss that.

I still feel the need to say "Asaala Maalekum" whenever I walk into a store or a place with lots of people, but I've kept myself from actually saying it out loud. And I miss the custom of greeting every single person in a room when you enter it.

Since there's no one around to speak Wolof with, I use it when interacting with my cat. Yes, I realize this makes me sound strange. But aside from recognizing her name, the cat doesn't know any English words. So whether I tell her to "come here" in English or "kaay fi" in Wolof, whether she reacts to it or not is merely based on my tone of voice and hand motions.

Thanks to the internet, email, and cell phones, I'm able to hear from my friends and family in Senegal on a fairly regular basis. My host brother, Amadou in Kaolack, called and woke me up yesterday morning at 7:15am. It was great to see that he was thinking of me, but a little early for me to be able to make any coherent sentence the second I woke up. I chatted with him earlier today on MSN and found out that at the same time he called a friend of mine in Seattle, and he complained that she didn't pick up the phone either. I explained that 5:15am and 7:15am are not exactly the best times to call us and of course he understood and had forgotten the number of hours between us.

Although there are a million things I miss about Senegal, there are also things that I don't miss. These things include our belching sheep that would wake me up early in the morning and not let me get back to sleep, receiving innumerable marriage proposals, and being hassled when trying to buy something by people who just see me as someone with lots of money. And of course, always having access to electricity, running water, water that you can drink out of the tap, and internet is pretty nice as well. I really did miss coffee shops with wireless internet while I was in Senegal.

So what am I up to now? I spent a number of weeks in Illinois giving speeches to Rotary clubs and to different groups of people at Illinois Wesleyan University. I was even able to address the Rotary District Conference for District #6490. In Grand Rapids, I have also spoken with social studies classes in local high schools. One thing that this entire experience has definitely given me is great public speaking skills. Although I've never really been a stranger to the stage, now I am very comfortable addressing groups of people regardless of the size.

I am currently living in Michigan where I grew up. I am working here for the summer, while fulfilling family and personal commitments up here. I'm also straightening out the details of moving my life to Washington, DC. I was accepted to George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. I will move to DC in August to pursue a Masters in International Development Studies. Part of moving my life involves searching for a part-time job in my field to have while I pursue my studies. So if any of you have suggestions for part-time work, or contacts, in the fields of international development, human rights, or international relations in DC, I would greatly appreciate it if you would send them my way!