And I'm back...

Its 8:00 in the morning on Sunday (Happy Father's Day Dad!), and I'm already back at work. I came home yesterday around 1:30.

I had a conversation with my sister Sarah yesterday about my experience while at the airport. I had questions for her because the times when we traveled to Bangladesh, she was my age and I asked her how she felt coming back. She told me about materialism, she learned something new about herself every time she came back, and told me to try not to fall back into the society we live in. She said it's really hard. And she knows she has done it and still does it. She says that the little things really don't matter to her anymore. (Sarah I'm sorry if you're reading this... ha.) It hit me. I hadn't really started crying until then, after I got off the phone with her, right before we boarded onto the plane in JFK. Like you all already know, I'm scared. Do I really have to have a reminder every once in a while to help me realize that I am a lucky person for the opportunities I am able receive? I really hope this just stays constant.

It's hard from hanging and living with 17 people, to by myself. It's like a part of myself was already gone. These 17 people created so many memories and joys in my life, that it is going to be weird to not see them every day. I thank Kimmy and Robbie for being around yesterday, otherwise I would have had a hard time by myself.

So back to reality where things haven't changed. From the outside I may not have changed. But there are and will be experiences that I just won't come out and tell you that has helped change me. There will be things that I don't want to do, and you will want an explanation, and I'm not going to give you one. Its because of what has happened in South Africa to me. It's all about implementing everything I've learned there, into this society here. That will be the hardest part.

It's not going to happen within a snap in a second. But it needs to happen soon enough that I won't forget. But I think just looking at the 17 other people I shared this experience with, it will help me remember. I had an immediate connection in some shape or form with every single one of them.

I've shared some stories with a few people in particular already, and I thank them for listening to me. I hope it makes you try to go and experience something I did, because I am beginning to think if people have the slightest opportunity to do so, they should. I've learned a lot more about myself than I expected. It's the quote again I was raised with, "It's not what you do, what you eat, or what you wear, it's who you really are." Thanks Dad. I have come to realize I am thankful for the culture that I was raised with and how my parents chose to do it. I hope I can do the same for my future family, because it helped me a lot on this experience.

I may keep writing in here from time to time. To talk about things I experience here. Because let me tell you, seeing this big new copier/printer (two of them) at work this morning at 5:45 kind of threw me off edge a little. I didn't think the purchase was necessary. Riham saw me annoyed, but I left my thoughts inside of me.