Last day in Africa

Today is my last day in Africa. I have some mixed emotions. There is certainly a lot to look forward to back home, but I have met some wonderful people here and had so many memorable moments. Over the next few weeks, I will be spending some time thinking about how I can integrate this experience into my life. I don't think I would be a good fit for Tanzania specifically long term, but I would like to spend a couple years living and working abroad somewhere.

I've told Phil and Alison a few times while out here that I'm looking forward to a double quarter pounder with cheese from McDonald's (terribly unhealthy, I know, but quite delicious). While that's true to a certain extent, I think what is closer to the root of what I'm looking forward to is a return to the familiar for awhile. This contradicts my previous paragraph about wanting to live abroad somewhere a bit, but I think in the end, it comes down to me forcing myself to adapt and accept change. I want to further push the boundaries of my comfort zone and personally develop greater appreciation for all of the diversity in the world. I really want to become conversationally fluent in about six languages so that I can reduce some of my fear of being lost in a sea of unfamiliarity. I have the advantage of already knowing English, but even that only gets me so far. Every once in awhile though, it's nice to return to your roots and feel warmth and security of predictability, you know?

Also, it turns out that I have an 8 hour layover in Amsterdam, making my total travel time back to the US about 35 hours. I'm going to make the best of it though, and spend the morning tomorrow in Amsterdam visiting some sights like the Van Gogh museum. After having lunch in central Amsterdam, I'll head back to the airport for my flight to Detroit and then finally on to Chicago.

A final side note (possibly my last post before returning to the US): I'm looking forward to a little welcome home gathering this weekend at BW3's in Chicago. It'll be lunch so that we can watch a World Cup game. I can't wait for 18 wings, half mild and half medium, with ranch dressing. What yummy goodness. It's amazing that such simple things are held so dear when we think about "home." I guess in our own little ways, we all cling to the familiar, resisting change to some degree.