How am I feeling? I feel like am in limbo. I am so excited to go home to my community of 20,007 people; to be able to drive only a little bit to see my friends and family verses figuring out times we can Skype and playing phone tag; to live where there are seasons, it may sound weird to those who want to live in perfect 75-80 degree weather all year round, but I miss the seasons changing. But on the flip side, I am so heartbroken to leave the 200 kids that I have fallen in love with, who brighten even the worst of days, and my friends who have become family, who have been my light even in the darkest of times.
What's after NPH? Well, immediately after I will be traveling for three weeks and meeting up with different friends everywhere I go. I will be spending two weeks in Costa Rica, hoping to process what I have learned from this year. After I will be going to see my dad in Dallas for a day during a long layover. Then spending a few days in DC with my lovely sister and brother-in-law whom I have not seen in almost a year. Finally, I will be spending a long weekend in NYC with two of my best friends. After the traveling, well, Lord only knows what is next for me. Seriously, any prayers for my job hunt would be appreciated.
What I will miss and what I won't miss:
What I won't miss:
1. Waking up and not knowing if I will have water. I realized how blessed I am in the States to wake up and not worry about being able to shower right away, or make my morning Joe (which I rely on way too much). It doesn't happen too often, luckily.
2. Being catcalled, almost every time I leave my home. It's also pretty frustrating because many of the men doing it think that it's flattering and that women enjoy it. Fun fact, we don't.
3. Taking the bus. Yes, it's economical, but I miss Walter, my little Kia Spectra. I like doing things on my own time, so having to rely on the bus schedule is not ideal.
4. Being constantly dirty. I don't know what it is, but even if I don't sit down outside on a bench I somehow have a dirt spot on my pants, and my nails consistently have dirt in them.
5. Being taken advantage of (price wise) because people assume since I am doing a year of service that I must be able to afford not being paid for a year. Fun fact, I am not wealthy despite being from the States.
6. As much as I love learning Spanish and as far as I have come, I still have a long ways to go, so I will not miss not being understood or not understanding.
What I will miss:
1. I can't even begin to describe how much I will miss my teenagers. They have been my rock throughout this year. It will be weird not to walk up to my apartment after work and gleaming from receiving 40-80 hugs good night and hearing "que descanses, te quiero," (rest well, I love you) more times than I can count. They are my community, my people, and when I leave, I think I will be a little lost.
2. Traveling Mexico (but not by bus). It truly is a beautiful country with so much more culture than I ever imagined to find here. I wish that people who go to a resort in Cancun every year would trade a week of beaching and go to the mountains, hike a volcano, see the butterflies that travel to Mexico every year, or simply live like a local.
3. Walking to many of the places I go. In MN I live far from anything really, so I rely on my car to go everywhere. I will also miss walking less than a minute and a half to work.
4. The tacos. Oh Lord, I will miss the tacos. And just the food in general, not so much the rice and beans, but the sopes, chilaquiles, tortas, the way better fruit and avocados than those that are in the States, and all the spicy salsas they have where ever you go to eat.
5. My quiet mornings. I have been very accustomed to waking up, reading my bible/doing my bible study, getting ready slowly, and drinking many cups of coffee (I truly am an addict). Since I don't know what exactly I will be returning to when I go home, I don't know how my mornings will look like.
6. Mexican Netflix, it's 100% better than USA Netflix. Lately I have been binging on Full House, because why not relive my childhood a little?
7. The slow(ish) paced life. While it is faster than I thought it would be, it's so much more relaxed than the United States.
8. Spanish. Even though I stated above that I won't miss parts of it, I will miss constantly learning new words, expressions, groserias, and grammar. I am hoping to find someone that I can talk with in Spanish when I go back. I am also praying that my Spanish that I have worked so hard to learn will not slip too much when I return.
9. The view. Oh my goodness, I can't begin to describe how much I will miss my view. It is million dollar view that I get for free. I have mountains, the city lights at night, and an active volcano, all from my windows or even better, the roof. When I go home I will be returning to the view of a highway, so it'll be quite the drastic change.
10. Serving others every single day. I am called to a life of service, so not knowing what is next and how I will be serving others is a little scary for me.
There is probably a lot more, but those are the biggest things that I will and will not miss about Mexico and NPH. Here's to the last 32 days of messing up on Spanish and falling in love even more with my kiddos.
Bien y paz,
Katie
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