Dream Big and Dream Fierce: Trip to the States!

Well, I returned to Paraguay last Monday morning and it wasn’t until Thursday or Friday that I finally felt recovered. My first day back I slept for 14 hours at night, woke up for lunch, then went back to bed for 3 more hours. I was wiped out! And while my trip back to the states was short, jam packed, and a blur; it was also so much fun, filled with laughter, and completely refreshing.

To sum it up:

· - I saw over 25 friends and 30+ family members (Two of which were new baby cousins who I had never met before! And are both adorable!)

· - I hung out in Wilmette, Chicago, Denver, and Breckenridge

· - I ate chipotle (twice), as much Starbucks as I could handle, Chinese food, Portillo’s, Chicago style pizza, Thanksgiving dinner, delicious salads, and apple pie (yes, I am still full.)

· - I went to target. Twice. (I had to go back because the first time I was too overwhelmed and couldn’t get everything on my list)

· - I went sledding with family, danced and drank beers with friends and saw Catching Fire in theaters with my parents!

Everyone kept asking me if it was weird being back. And while yes, it was, I honestly was too busy to notice. The thing that caught me the most off guard was the taste of bananas. They taste sterile in the states, Paraguayan bananas are way better! Haha but in all seriousness – I did notice things here and there that stuck out to me, but since I was home for so little it didn’t bother me much. I have a feeling when I go back for good it will be a much bigger cultural adjustment.

Also, I felt like when people asked me what my life is like, they were expecting some incredible answer like I am delivering babies or finding the cure for some big disease down here. But the reality of my life is that I am simply living in Paraguay. 2 of the 3 Peace Corps goals are to share culture and interact and live in your community. And while I understand this, I felt like people expected concrete answers as to how I have changed the lives of the people in my community, and so the response in reality may have been a disappointment to some.

And in the theme of Thanksgiving (and since we never did go around the table and share what we are thankful for this year), I will share mine with you all! Going back to the states made me so incredibly thankful for all of you who have been there for me throughout the Peace Corps process. It was great to go home and realize that even after such a long time apart, I still have so many people who I love back in the states. Also, I am thankful for another 4 months in Paraguay! (can you believe that’s all that’s left?!) While the upcoming months are the sweatiest ones, summer in Paraguay gives me ample time to hang with my family and friends here before tackling whatever comes next in my life.