An Admission

I have a confession to make. I've made a visit to the US and am typing this blog post from the couch in my parents' house. On my birthday*, April 1, I loaded a plane from Mwanza, flew to Dar es Salaam, and then to Qatar, and then to JFK in NY. It was a last-minute decision by me and the hubby that I should go home for some R&R after the last round of illnesses at the end of March. Up until that point I had been sick most of 2013 and I have been bouncing around on medications for the past 9 months. It was starting to do its toll on me both physically and emotionally and we thought a change of scenery and some rest and relaxation would do me some good. Unfortunately, Chris wasn't able to join me because it's a really busy time for us and for the MKLM community in Mwanza. So I'm sad that he had to stay back and hold down the fort at home. As great as this visit has been, I really miss him and wish he could've been here.

This is my first time back in the states since moving to Mwanza 15 months ago. I'm still processing what it means to be here again and to understand how I see my home country differently. It's been great to be here, great for my mental health, for sure. It's such a relief to easily go anywhere and pretty much understand the systems and know the language to get across anything I need to say. I've loved stopping into a gas station and buying whatever treat I want.


God bless America and gas stations.

The scenery has been beautiful and I've been able to do some jogging without being gawked at.




Spring is beginning to show its blossoms.

There are magic machines that eat your laundry and spit them out clean and dry!



But most of all, it's been so wonderful to be able to see some family and friends. Even though I haven't seen nearly everyone I'd love to* it's been a wonderful thing to see those that I have.


 My grandparents in their little house in Georgia.


My friend Melissa and her daughters walking to the beach in NJ.


Me and my niece Maddie on the beach.


My sister and 2 of my nieces playing on the couch.

I've got more stories to tell and more pictures to share. But this is good for now. It's been an amazing trip that has revived my spirits and helped me to gain some strength and perspective again. I head back to TZ on Monday so hopefully I can keep this energy to propel me to continue in TZ and keep keeping on.

*Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes! I didn't write anything on my actual birthday because I was in transition.

**I didn't tell most people that I was coming home because I only was here for 2 weeks and I needed to spend some time catching up on rest. Sorry! I'll hopefully see more people when we return for a longer visit, hopefully sometime early in 2014.