Readjustment

So yeah, RPCVs can be cranky.

Because we go through a kind of reverse culture shock. I know, some RPCVs might roll their eyes and say that it's cliche to use the term culture shock, that the term makes simply readjusting seem like a complex.

Whatever. All I know is there are some things about being back that are hard to get used to.

Like when I stepped off the plane and everyone was white. That was pretty weird! Dakar's not like that! And how everybody started walking real fast out of the terminal. I was thinking to myself, what for? It's not as if all of these people have connecting flights! Plus-- in the Atlanta airport they have all of these neat paintings on the wall. So I walked slow, and I refused to get on the Tarmac. I looked at the artand I was deliberate with each step. (There was one lady on our neighborhood walking path walking slow with her child. I had a hunch she wasn't american. Americans have a time crunch. I got close and heard she was speaking something slavic. Walking deliberately is a skill I hope to keep)

Once in the other terminal waiting for my connecting flight, I also had to notice how one out of every three people were holding a tall white starbucks cup! Wow.

And then there was the experience of driving the car again, on a saturday. Not only did everyone own SUVs, but, like me, everyone was in a car, driving from one supermarket to the next. It was a beautiful day outside and we were all in these boxes. It's like the saturday activity of americans...get in the car and go buy something.

Then I had the experience of somebody walking right by me, me trying to make eye contact to say hello, and the person totally ignoring me. How can you walk right by somebody with no one else around and pretend you don't see them?

And fast food. Does anyone cook for themselves anymore?

Then there are just the differences that don't have any good or bad conotations for me. For example, light switches. First of all, I'm not used to them and second of all I don't know where they are on the wall of my house anymore. Second, faucets. I can drink the water that comes out of them. And I can brush my teeth with that water, too. Sweet. Third, the floors aren't made of dirt, so I don't have to wear shoes inside and have gritty feet all the time, and the 3 second rule applies once more.

There are also good cultural differences here. For example, people are listening to my every word here. It's startling. In senegal, I used to ramble off all the time and no one would listen. And that was ok (: But here, in English, I can speak how I want more often, and it just comes out and, oops, people are listening. why are they listening so closely? (:

It's ok being back. but really, just ok. I miss adventure. I miss challenge. I'm itching to get out again......