Usually by the time I make it back to the states the blog goes by the wayside and I neglect talking about the reentry. 

Coming back to the states is this weird out of body experience. It leaves you feeling discombobulated. I found myself wandering about my house last night feeling out of place and as if it wasn’t mine. 

Just for perspective I hadn’t driven a car in 23 days until yesterday. Aside from weekend trips in Guatemala, commuting was no more than a 10 minute walk anywhere in town.

I hated going to the grocery store last night.  Produce options are terrible here,  prices are insane,  and I don’t understand why I can’t negotiate cost based on the quality I am finding.  I also don’t understand why I can’t just buy one of something and not an entire package.

Having so many clothing options is something I no longer value.  Driving me to wonder why I own so many things.  I loved living for 23 days with only 10 items of clothing on rotation.  I spent zero time worried about what I was going to wear and worried very little about how I looked.  People’s kindness outshined their outfits in Guatemala and most woman wore traditional clothing.

I miss having my laundry done for me (courtesy of Nicole,  I never managed to have more then 2 things in the hamper at a time), and having my house cleaned 3x a week.  I miss having a garden to sit in that is up kept by someone else.  I miss living in community.  I miss morning walks to school.  I miss cool mornings and weather that makes you wanna be outside.  I miss kind friendly people everywhere you go.  I have yet to have a negative interaction with someone in Guatemala. Everyone is kind and helpful.  One of the most bizarre things I miss are the bathrooms.  While it seems odd to mention it is really one of the things I appreciate the most.  I have never been in a country that has the level of clean bathrooms as Guatemala. While you may not be able to flush the toilet paper, even in the most remote of places the bathrooms are always impeccable. I think it’s a combination of others being courteous of eachother and and just a value for taking care of what you do have when you have so little. 

Coming home is always harder than one would think it would be.  Modern conveniences seem less important when the pace of life is slower.  I am grateful to get to live in both worlds,  and understand that I exists in both with great privilege.