My two weeks in the U.S. were, to put it simply, crazy. I saw lots of friends, and even got to visit Tanya’s new house in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and Jenny and Bob’s new house in Athens, Ohio. I took care of a million little things that needed my attention, from banking to medical and dental appointments, from clothes shopping to getting my laptop updated. I also managed to squeeze in time for some shopping, and spent money like it was going out of style. I think I spent more in those 2 weeks than I have in the last year. Of course, that statement is mostly a reflection of how little I spent in the last year, rather than how much I spent in these 2 weeks. I stocked up on a few things my Moldovan experience told me I would find valuable in Ukraine – good shoes (4 new pairs altogether; I will never again buy cheap shoes, it just isn’t worth it to have sore feet all the time); a down winter coat; and coffee coffee coffee (I am ashamed to admit that yes, I drank the instant stuff most of the year, and even kind of got used to it, but for at least the next couple of months I’ll have good, real coffee to drink).
I had many moments of thinking something like “My god, 1 week ago I was in Tvarditsa” or “Geez, I left Moldova just 10 days ago.” Lots of people asked me what I had missed about the U.S., and what were my impressions of it now after a year abroad. Initially, I would have said that I missed being in a place where things made sense, where things felt normal and understandable and I knew how to manage life in general. But a couple experiences made me realize that life here can be super-difficult, too. 2 days after returning, I found myself on a phone adventure trying to find someone who could verify to the pharmacy that I have health insurance. After a long and unsatisfying talk with a computer, I finally got a person who told me it can take 2-4 weeks for the Peace Corps insurance to get processed so I show up in the system. Since I was only going to be in the country for 2 weeks, and the insurance only lasts for 4 weeks, I found this rather ironic. The next day I had two more conversations with computer-phones to deal with a computer problem and an airline ticket problem. So much for life being easier and more manageable in the U.S.!
I hadn’t expected how much things would have changed in just a year. Ohio State always has tons of construction going on, but the last year seems to have been at a frenetic pace. I swear, there was a parking lot behind Townshend Hall when I left, and now there is an entire building instead. The Gateway Project, which was started 10+ years ago, is finally almost finished and it was pretty neat to see that progress. The new recreation building is open for business, the Oval was renovated, Page and Hagerty Halls are done. I didn’t even get to north campus, but I heard there are buildings going up there, too. Clintonville, the neighborhood where I grew up, had quite a bit of change, too. New shops, new streetlights, and a freshly paved High Street. And good grief, is that a Target at Graceland Shopping Center?
It was a bit weird how easily I could just “plug back in” to things. I thought it would be strange, maybe even a bit scary, to drive a car again. Nope, no problem. Conversations with friends picked back up right where we left them over a year ago – work gossip, dating stories, and what the kids did at school lately.
Some friendships have changed, though. I knew that would happen, but it surprised me which friendships feel different now. Some people I feel closer to and others I feel more distant from. I knew when I left in September 2004 that I was doing something that would change my life forever. It was such a clear and tangible change, it was like turning the page in a book to start the next chapter. I knew I would never be able to go back, and I also knew that my own feelings about my life before Peace Corps would change over time, too. Now, 13 months later, I see it more as finishing one book and starting the next one. Some of the characters are the same, but their roles are different now in the plot.
I’m glad I had the opportunity to go home for a couple weeks in between chapters of this new book in my life. I understand, though, why people living abroad try to visit home for amonth or longer – there is just too much to do and too many people to see! It’s apity I couldn’t see or talk to all the people I wanted to. Hopefully we’ll see each other next time!
Anka in Kyiv 