I, of course, miss my bf but I am also dealing with a bit of culture shock.  It’s weird to see clean, paved streets and supermarkets filled with crisp fruit.  I can drink water from the tap and open my mouth in the shower.  I can turn on the heat or AC to match my every temperature discomfort. And somehow in the midst of every privileged aspect of my life, I miss Kenya.  I miss seeing the carts of mangoes and avocados, and buying passion juice in the stores (since I am still a little too nervous to drink it fresh in most places in Kenya).  It’s weird to be in one place that lacks so many amenities (including indoor toilets and showers) and then to wake up in a place with everything I could desire, and yet still miss that other place.

There is a certain simplicity of Kenya that I miss even though I am incredibly grateful for my life.  I also really miss the kids at my bf’s school and the appreciation that comes from the children when I do flashcards with them and pass out stickers.  The simplicity in Kenya and the lack of material things, makes me feel more bewildered when I come back and talk with people who are miserable, and act out accordingly.  Sometimes I’m also guilty of not always keeping things in perspective and there are definitely times when I take things for granted, but being fresh off my last visit for Kenya, it skews my vision a bit of how much we all take for granted and what an amazing place we live in, if only we could remember.

So I am thankful. Thankful for having a bf in Kenya who has shown me this other world, thankful we have shared these experiences together and thankful for the life I do have when I come home.