Back in the U S of A

I am back now and I hit the ground running with the normal whirlwind tour a visit to Chicago is, maybe even more so with two weddings and the associated activities. I held up pretty well, though I never took a breather and nearly fell over after I reached California and got off the plane and started learning to drive stick shift! :) Life is definitely slowing down now, but it was great to have that "booster" of family and friends in Chicago. So, America wasn't too much of a shock, probably because I had been to Africa before and already had the eye opening experience of returning back to the land of over-abundance (in a material sense).

So what moments have struck me? Sitting at the dinner table my first night back, in Chicago with my family, I was full and thought to give my leftovers to someone outside (Sam and I always gave our leftovers to our guard, who stayed outside the house) but in our middle class neighborhood, there would be no one on the street to give my food to.

I also had this "space" moment since being in L.A...I was going to a school for work, and I was the only person outside in this expanse of streets, houses, cars and a school...in Blantyre, there would be lots of people in that space. And, of course, I am in California, which is one of the most purposely spaced places in the country.

I think I remembered to appreciate my first automatic hot shower (just turning the knob, rather than having to boil water first) and I also noticed my first night sleeping without a mosquito net...although sleeping under the mosquito net was kind of like a nice cocoon, it was just a lot of work getting in and out of bed.

I definitely went on a funny food thing, like wanting everything and anything at once, like Janine and Dan having to watch me eat a milkshake, cheese sticks and half of a burrito at a diner after Danie & Kirby's wedding...:) And the night that I had two dinners! One with my family in South Bend, and another out with Timothy that night. (For the sake of not looking like a glutton, I didn't eat much at the first meal :)

Ah, speaking of gluttony, and America, or rather consumerism ... Consumerism is something I did not miss. I was so happy with whatever I had in Malawi. There weren't coffee shops on every corner beckoning me to spend four dollars on a drink. And then if I "give in" to it, I feel guilty. Luckily I'm at a place where I am happy with my body, so at least it's not double guilt, just guilt for spending money.

Maybe the money thing does relate to how as Americans, we are alone more often. As I mentioned above, there were always people around in Malawi. Even outside the city in the villages... well, I'm sure if I was a Malawian who lived in the bush, I could find myself alone. But for me, I was always with other co-workers firstly, and secondly, white people are not a common occurrence in rural areas, so I know wherever I am, people will appear.

The fact that there are always people around was one of the things I discovered and enjoyed about Africa when I was in Mali. I like that if I want to be alone, I can be, but if I want to be with people, even if we are doing our own thing and it's just about company, there is always that opportunity. It just feels much more natural, much more real life, than the contrived feeling of empty streets and sidewalks in California.

Here in L.A. as a newly single person with only so many friends here, I'm alone a lot, so I'll do things like go to or rent a movie, or yoga class, or a coffee shop...all things that cost money! Hence, the connection... sometimes it seems like in America, if we want to be around other people, we have to do something that costs money.

(Ok, exceptions being parks and the beach, which I choose to embrace this weekend, since it is HOT in L.A...and for all those people who asked where my tan was since I was in Africa but it was winter :)...I'm stealing the last bits of summer rays I can).