It's been awhile

Wow! It's been a looong time since I last posted!

To sum up the first year of repatriating: blue skies, clean air, socially difficult, lots of tears, lonely, blue skies, family, missing overseas friends, crying daily, stressful, appalled by US ethnocentrism, stressful, puppy, dating, blue skies, family, lost job due to economy... And that was only from June 2009-March 2010!

A few things kept me going throughout the first year home in the States. I talked to friends overseas frequently. Of course I would try to vary who I spoke to so one or two people weren't always listening to me bitch about life at home. :) Thanks to all of my friends and family who gave hugs, reassuring words, listened, made me laugh, let me cry while Skyping half way around the world, and helped me to find humor in the trauma of moving home. Some may think that trauma is a drastic word to use for someone who is just moving back to where they came from. However, I believe the word is appropriate since I had never felt as confused, depressed and stressed out as I did the first year I repatriated to the United States. Thank god most of that feeling is subsiding and I'm developing a new kind of normal.

I'm still shocked by what I see on TV or in the grocery store. More on that later.