Well, technically it's Friday and it's three weeks that I've been back in the States. I feel like it's been a WHOLE lot longer than that as all of the old routines and memories have come back so easily. I feel almost like I've lost all of the habits I had in Africa in terms of talking with people and just in general taking life so moment-by-moment. I want to stop using the computer and the TV and all of that. Actually, I think I'm making progress. I toured some of the parts of Canton and Collinsville that I haven't been back to for quite a while today. I took a walk in the reservoir, and bought myself a Spanish book to seriously study. What I really need to do is finish the job search, which I'm closing in on. I've pretty much settled on teaching, and there's this great fellows program in place in NYC, DC and Miami. So I'm applying to these programs, and hopefully I'll get accepted to at least one of them and be able to teach later this year. Once that's done, I'll be able to actually focus on what's important, spend less time on the computer, less time watching TV and movies, and more time just being.
I think I needed this time, though, just to let my body catch up and do all those things for which it was in withdrawal. But I'm running out of excuses for being lazy, and I'm feeling like I'm slipping into a depression. Which everyone says is "normal" ... screw that. It may be perfectly normal, but I refuse to slip into it. I'm going to remain active until it gets warm enough so that I can get my bike out and be a bike freak again. That will make me feel a LOT better. I may get a laptop and a cellphone so that I can be mobile and not feel so tied down. But then again, I don't have that much money! We'll see.
So what's the plan? Keep on with jobs until I feel pretty assured that I've got something, do some temporary work if need be, visit people, get in shape (which is actually very important to staying sane), and try to be a good son and friend. I feel like that's not enough, but I'll find more to keep me busy.
Peace,
John
