Into the Steppe - 913 - An 8 month Overdue Update

As my friends and family know, I am no longer in Kazakhstan. As more time passed, it seemed more and more pointless to add another post to this blog but I was then reminded of other people that may spontaneously come across this. When I became interested in joining the Peace Corps I scoured the internet for peoples' blogs. I found the stories and photos fascinating and couldn't get enough. I hope my blog has been helpful to other hopefuls, and after being home 8 months I am finally putting a conclusion to this blog.

Not wanting to get into the details, but to provide some insight on my case, I decided to leave Kazakhstan early due to health and situational issues. Because of my situation, I was not in the happiest place coming home (though ecstatic to be home) and in all honesty did not feel ready or willing to put any more time and thought into Kazakhstan and anything relating to it.  8 months later I am finally developing all the photos of my life there and remembering all the crazy moments and relationships I made.

It's pretty weird to be back and adjusted to regular American life again. I remember the days of feeling like an alien and a celebrity depending on the day and how challenging that time was but also what great stories and experiences it brought me. Life almost seems so mundane when you return. You aren't anything fresh and exciting when you get home. That is comforting at times and also boring. So good luck to those of you out there exploring your dreams and taking the bold step. Despite my hardships I am so glad I did the Peace Corps. Here's a much overdue wrap up:

Things I will miss:
-speaking a foreign language daily
-the great friends I made and may likely never see again
-living in another culture so foreign to my own
-being, almost completely alone, and realizing I'm OK
-educating people on my new home from first hand experiences
-improving people's perceptions of Americans
-seeing my little school kids speak English in their cute accents
-having absolutely crazy and entertaining stories to tell my friends and family

Things I will not miss:
-feeling claustrophobic or feeling pressured to do things
-confined gender roles
-not always being able to understand and speak the language
-feeling frightened by cops
-the food (except for lagman)
-the winters
-drinking vodka or cognac

Things I will cherish because of my experience:
-our freedom
-our hygiene
-making it into the hearts of others half a world away
-being able to explain myself completely to people (at least in English)
-knowing I took on a huge challenge, and really went for it, and feeling all the better for it

As my friends and family know, I am no longer in Kazakhstan. As more time passed, it seemed more and more pointless to add another post to this blog but I was then reminded of other people that may spontaneously come across this. When I became interested in joining the Peace Corps I scoured the internet for peoples' blogs. I found the stories and photos fascinating and couldn't get enough. I hope my blog has been helpful to other hopefuls, and after being home 8 months I am finally putting a conclusion to this blog.

Not wanting to get into the details, but to provide some insight on my case, I decided to leave Kazakhstan early due to health and situational issues. Because of my situation, I was not in the happiest place coming home (though ecstatic to be home) and in all honesty did not feel ready or willing to put any more time and thought into Kazakhstan and anything relating to it.  8 months later I am finally developing all the photos of my life there and remembering all the crazy moments and relationships I made.

It's pretty weird to be back and adjusted to regular American life again. I remember the days of feeling like an alien and a celebrity depending on the day and how challenging that time was but also what great stories and experiences it brought me. Life almost seems so mundane when you return. You aren't anything fresh and exciting when you get home. That is comforting at times and also boring. So good luck to those of you out there exploring your dreams and taking the bold step. Despite my hardships I am so glad I did the Peace Corps. Here's a much overdue wrap up:

Things I will miss:
-speaking a foreign language daily
-the great friends I made and may likely never see again
-living in another culture so foreign to my own
-being, almost completely alone, and realizing I'm OK
-educating people on my new home from first hand experiences
-improving people's perceptions of Americans
-seeing my little school kids speak English in their cute accents
-having absolutely crazy and entertaining stories to tell my friends and family

Things I will not miss:
-feeling claustrophobic or feeling pressured to do things
-confined gender roles
-not always being able to understand and speak the language
-feeling frightened by cops
-the food (except for lagman)
-the winters
-drinking vodka or cognac

Things I will cherish because of my experience:
-our freedom
-our hygiene
-making it into the hearts of others half a world away
-being able to explain myself completely to people (at least in English)
-knowing I took on a huge challenge, and really went for it, and feeling all the better for it

5/28/2012 12:10:44 PM