I recently visited home, America, for 3 weeks this last August. I didn't know what it was going to be like. I would hear stories about reverse culture shock or never wanting to get on the plane back to Africa. Other PCVs would talk about getting mind-fucked after attempting to enter a Target, all kinds of crazy shit.
Luckily for me, I experienced neither. It was good to be back home. I immediately slipped back into my American habits. And just like that, I was American Kristin again. I mean yes, one of the main things I noticed was the constant excessiveness of eating. Eating everything all the time and a lot of it too. Eating was just present everywhere, lol.
I didn't get reverse culture shock and cry my eyes out for Africa. At the same time, I wasn't crying to stay in the first world either. I enjoyed every minute of it and there was no rush to go back home (Africa) because school was locked. There was also no reason to stay home (America) because there was nothing there for me and I had a job to finish in Salone. It felt good for what it was, a vacation.
All of this became very clear to me as I arrived back home in Lunsar. And there I was, walking on dirt roads again without running water and lack of electricity. I didn't feel bothered by it, it felt normal, really. I can't explain it, I just think it's kinda weird to have this ability to live these 2 completely different lives and be OK in these parallel realities of my life.
Honestly, I think that my complacency with the quality of life in Salone has a lot to do with the fact that I know it's temporary. I'm used to the way of life here in Salone but I'm not in it for the long haul.
As much as I love it here. I know I'm only loving it for what it is, a temporary stay. I battled a lot with this. As awesome as Salone can be, I know that I will never be 100% accepted into this culture. Salone has a long way to go. No matter how much Krio, Temne, Mende and any other tribe language I learn and no matter how much I know about the country and its culture, I'll always be "white" to them. It's just a fact of reality here.
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