Rwanda 2/17/11

Well I’ve been back for a day now and I am experiencing some severe culture shock. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time adjusting back to my “normal” life. The only thing I can think of is because this time while traveling I wasn’t just a visitor, I lived, and worked in a community, and hung out with our local friends on the weekends. I had no one from back home to remind me of my “normal life.” When I landed in DC I saw this white stuff on the ground, and it literally took a few seconds to register that it was snow! Second, it’s so weird to no longer be the extreme minority, and not to have everyone stare at me everywhere I go. I really don’t enjoy not being a queen anymore either! I can no longer talk about whatever I want in front of whomever I want because now everyone understands the language I’m speaking. All that aside it has also been mentally and emotionally hard to be home. It’s hard going back to your previous life when for the last little while all my life has been about is others. It’s weird to be walking around the gardens, and art museum in Pasadena feeling completely idle and unneeded.