I went home to Arizona for the holidays. As you might imagine, it was very nice to relax with family and friends with the comforts of nice beds, multiple couches, cable TV, and most importantly a fully stocked refrigerator and pantry that enabled me to gain 7 pounds in two weeks.
I have an amazing family, and it was wonderful to spend the holidays with them. Also, I got to see Nathalia after 7 months, and I guess that was okay too.
The hardest part about going home (both going home to Arizona, and coming back home to El Salvador--I have two homes) is the transition. Going to Arizona is much easier physically. There's air conditioning and heating, an abundance of cars that make for easy and comfortable transportation, good food, etc. However, emotionally, it was a bit trying. Through email and phone I know what is going on with family and friends back at home, but I still remain distant from it. I forget that loved ones are aging--my dog Dina especially :)--and everyone is going through their daily struggles, which to me, seem magnified when I only catch a glimpse of them for a short period of time.
Coming back to El Salvador, then, becomes even harder. At home, I begin to think that I could do a lot to help out my family if I were to move back to AZ. Of course that is not what they want, but sometimes it feels like that is what should be. Add those feelings with a 9 hour plane ride where my luggage was lost plus a 2 hour bus ride only to be greeted by a house full of dust, and emptied of food and clean clothes, and the trip home becomes daunting. Furthermore, having seen my family and friends, I no longer am able to distance myself from them--meaning my thoughts stay with them a lot longer after visits than after emails and phone calls.
However, I have now been back for a week and am feeling okay, so I think this transition is running about as smoothly as it should. It helps that the airline found my bags so now I have clean clothes. Even more than that, it helps that I have a tree to chop up with my machete this afternoon--definitely my favorite chore ever.
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6 comments:
...and no Nathalia there to nag you or whatever it that she does that makes seeing her "okay".
Love, "okay" Nathalia.
Less chopping, more blogging.
Great post. I am amped to send you your amazing birthday present, I might send it early if you can get me your address.
Well said, as usual. I believe I posted something very similar when I was in Poland. Minus the machete part, though. The pollution and toxic waste usually took care of the trees for us in Warsaw.
Glad you got your clothes back and, more importantly, that you got another machete.
i want to chop things with your machete
Great insight. Great entry. Great news that you have a new machete. It was fun to have you here, and, believe it or not, a transition for us too. Love ya!
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