I’m staying in Kansas for a while. Hopefully, for a few years at least. Upon telling on of my oldest friends this, she replied, “Really?!?…….I mean….do you think you can sit still that long?” I have to admit, she has a point.
I love travel. And for all the crazy ups and downs, I loved living abroad. However, my family isn’t there and neither is the means for what I want to do with my life. I think I’ll be okay with staying in one place as long as I have an endgame.
That said, it’s horribly tempting to pack up and go. At times, it’s grating being back. I have to worry about things like car insurance, registration, heath insurance, having a car in general, finding a job, finding a place to live, getting my stuff out of storage, holidays, prices, enrollment, class schedules, tuition, etc. The list keeps going. Most days, I do pretty well. Most days, I can remember all the reasons that I came back and all of the people that I am so glad to see. Usually, I can remember all the crap things about living abroad. However, there are moments that it’s everything I can do to sit still. Moments where it’s all I can do NOT to drive to the airport and book a ticket anywhere. About once a week, I go online and look at the jobs that I would have a shot at. Japan, Qatar, Taiwan, Russia, Chile, Korea, Spain……the list goes on. I also think about my friends that are now scattered to the four corners. Hmmm…..it’d be great to visit and maybe I could find a job near them!
I’m very glad that I can typically talk myself out of it. So instead of an escape abroad, I’m plotting smaller, more local trips. This summer, I’d like to find a river and kayak down it. Yes, I know that summer is quite a ways away. But it gives me something fun to focus on. 
And having banished thoughts of fleeing the country and replaced them with images of relaxing on a river, I’m off to bed.
Filed under: travel
I’ve been back in the States for a little over a month. Yeah, there’s some serious readjustments going on in my head. It’s been wonderful catching up with friends and family. It’s nice to be able to go the grocery store and be able to read the labels on everything. I have a lot of time on my hands these days, so here are some of the things that I’ve been thinking about.
Things I missed about living in the States
1. People that know me disturbingly well. Some of them know me well because we share a lot of DNA. Others because we spend a lot of time together. Whatever the reason, I love those people. They share my hatred of cliches and give some awesome hugs.
2. The space. It’s nice being able to be alone. And not that icky “there are 25 million people around me and still I have no one to talk to” alone. I like the alone that comes with being in the middle of nowhere. I like the nature, the peace, and the lack of noise.
3. My car. Yes, I’d trade it in a second for decent public transit, but I still enjoy the tactile sensation of driving. What can I say? I like shifting.
4. Food. Diversity is awesome.
However, there’s just as much stuff that I miss about being abroad.
1. My students. I was positively addicted to those moments where a light bulb would go off above a kid’s head.
2. Non-stupid cellphone plans. Really. Why do we put up with being charged for incoming calls and texts? It’s stupid.
3. Good public transit. I like getting things done. I like being able to read a book or study on the way to work. While I like to drive, I like accomplishing stuff more.
4. Being in demand. I miss having a valued skills set. I miss work being so easy to come by that I would be approached at the gym with offers of employment. *sigh
Overall, I’m glad to be back. It’s just strange as all hell. My sister jokingly said I should start my own support group for people returning overseas. It’s not a bad idea. Flux is bizarre state in which to exist. Things are getting better. My filters are coming back (I no longer overhear ever conversation in English). I no longer feel the impulse stare at obese people (It sounds terrible, I know. But I haven’t seen any in years.) And the class I’m taking is going quite well.
