Thursday, November 1, 2012

A New Perspective

     As many of you know, this past week I've been at home. I had to come back to deal with some medical problems, but I'm doing much better now (thanks largely to all of the support provided by my wonderful family and friends- thanks, love you guys!) and absolutely cannot wait to get back to school!
     I've been asked several times how it feels to be back home, and quite honestly.... its extremely weird. For one, I wasn't supposed to be home until Christmas, so I was mentally prepared for that and now that I'm home it feels like it should be winter and smell like peppermint and cinnamon everywhere. (Instead its nearly 80* outside...) It's been like a reverse culture shock. I've gotten so used to being surrounded by 210 kids from 84 different countries speaking something like 50 different languages, in a castle in the mountains, with a very structured schedule and a day that never ends (25/8!). Here I've been largely home-bound, I've seen some friends, but not very many and for short periods of time, and, with everyone at work and school during the day, I have been out of my mind bored- not that all the homework I brought with me isn't riveting material....
     And I know I shouldn't be complaining, a lot of the kids at school would kill to go home for a week. I realize I'm lucky to even have had the opportunity to come home and be treated and see my family, and it's been good- there are definitely things I've missed. Besides family and friends, my doggy, having my own room (not that I don't love my roomie, even when she steals my mac 'n cheese ;)), home-cooked food, being able to use a stove (have I told you guys we don't have stoves on campus? At least not in the dorms- its a fire hazard), having time to watch tv and sleep. There are definitely some pros.
     But I've realized that, even though it feels like nothing has changed here, a lot has changed. My family has a new routine, the church got new icons and there are people I've never seen before, my friends have new inside jokes and talk about games, dances, and parties that I didn't attend. It's weird. I left and life moved on. As it should and as, in theory, I knew it would. In practice it's a little harder to grasp.
     But I've also realized just how much UWC and all of my new friends have become a part of my life and that I have changed. I'd been told I would, but in just two months I didn't think I could become so different. It's not that I'm really different,  maybe just that different things are important to me and, as my mom says, my world got a little bigger.
     So it's definitely been an interesting experience, but I can say without a doubt that I am ready to get back to UWC life, as crazy and busy as it may be!

2 comments:

  1. JESS! We love you and really, really, really cannot wait for you to come back! We all miss you and not having you here with the rest of our family-ness here has been really strange. There's lots to catch you up on and hurry back! There's nothing wrong with the world getting bigger, my dear <3
    ~Zo

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  2. ZOE YOU'RE THE BESTEST! <3 can't wait to come back :) see you sooooooon!!!!!

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