Back in the States

So I'm back.

I just am lost on what to start with. Being back is like, well, it reminds me of the House episode I watched the night before traveling home. This girl had cancer that ranged from her heart all the way to her lungs, and also her brain. House used a crazy method to cure her: "rebooting" her nine year old body by freezing her a brief amount of time. It's like I was in hibernation. Everybody knew I was alive, but just not available. My life was put on hold.

I come back to such a well off home. We have a steady source of electricity, clean bathrooms, decent beds. I don't have to worry about getting run over by a bus, walking in sewage water, nor get hassled for money. I went on a walk yesteray and was amazed to see the well kept sidewalks, the cleanly cut grass, the stop lights and people following traffic rules. What a different world.

I have fit back into my niche at home, waking up early to make a cake for my sister's birthday, waking up my brother by whispering into his ear, finding my mother praying on her knees at 5 AM, creating a trail of mess wherever I go around. I've changed, but I haven't changed.

Thankfully, the trip back home wasn't as hard as the way there. British airways is simply an amazing airline, complete with comfortable seats, a good selection of movies, and fantastic food. I always ended up with an aisle seat, so problems with claustraphobia were not a worry. My flights where also 5 hours apart, which gave me time to walk around and check into customs without the brimming urge to shove people out of my way.

To the last moment of my trip, I made memorable experiences. Both people I sat next to on the trip were amazing to meet. The first trip from Kenya, I sat next to a girl who is going to be a senior at Ball State University. She's a speech pathology major, who had just finished a semester abroad in England and then off to Kenya just a month after coming back home. We sat for hours talking about Kenya before we conked out. The plane left at about 11:40 PM, so it was bed time for us. She had stayed with a group from her University the entire time, so she didn't get to do some of the same things I did. I loved describing to her what a matatu ride was like, discussing Kenyan politics, and my hopes for the country. She shared stories of her previous travels to Europe and Japan.

For my second flight, I actually didn't talk to the person I sat next to until the last 2 hours of my trip. Somehow, we just started talking to each other, not knowing that we had been on the same flight black from Kenya. What a small world, that we'd get on teh same flight from Kenya, wait the same 5 hours for the next flight, and get on teh exact same plane for Chicago? It turns out that she's from Somalia, but had lived in Kenya for 10 years, Uganda for 3, and Minnesota for 4. She knew Swahili, English, Ugandan, Somalian, and German. What a selection of languages! And just as I was about to get off the plane, I talked to the parents of 3 girls all under the age of 6 who had lived in portugal, Malaysia, England, and Wisconsin. The girls knew Portugese, what they speak in Malaysia, and English. I couldn't help but be jealous.

Talking to these people makes me want to travel to Korea so badly. I'm pretty serious about going to Korea after graduating and spending a year there teaching English. I might do a program in Buenos Aires, Argentina for a TESOL certificate, an international certificate to teach English. I haven't even been to Seoul before!

It was exciting to show my family what I had gotten them, and I was pleased to see that each person absolutely loved what I got them. They are all practical things, like wooden cooking spoon for my mother, a scarf and giraffe doorstop for Irene, a rock for my brother's collection, coffee for dad. Then there are the general banana peel paintings for the living room, and a big Maasai blanket for the couch.

I keep thinking about my last day in Kenya. Saying goodbye to my kiddies was so painful, especially Standard 7. All the students, even the boys, came up to hug me. Samuel gave me a ring so that I can remember Kenya. Lucky, the boy I walked to school with everyday had a hard time saying good bye. The next time I can think of going back, is three years. God willing I'll be able to go. They kept saying how lucky they were to meet me, to have them help out at their school. But actually, it was I who was lucky. They have taught me to look down and see what I have, not up and see what I don't have. I'm thankful for having shoes to walk in, sidewalks that aren't of dusty mud, to have clean water coming right from the refrigerator. I see there's more to life that what material things I want, and I understand there's just a deeper purpose to everything. I'm thankful for my family, no matter what emotions I used to feel as an angsty teen. Not that I'm not one anymore.

I don't know who has been reading or not. But if you guys ahve any idea how I can start fundraising for my school, please let me know. I don't want these kids to have to pay for primary school, espcially since they don't even have their own books and stuff. I want to help the head teacher/ the school board buy the plot of land so that even if they ask for a small charge, they can build a school kitchen, fix the floors, get better desks, and actually pay the teachers.

Thank you for all your support everyone. It means so much to me. I'm so glad to be back safe at home.

Kwaheri Kenya, Asante sana.

Becky

My trip to Kenya wasn't easy, but loved it none the less. There were days that I wish I had never thought of coming to Africa, but I can't even find the words to begin explaining how I feel. Travel is never really comfortable, but it's definitely life changeing. Now I have to come to my past reality: the Chicago suburban life. And in three days time, SI 2009 at IMSA.