I've been back in America for 18 days and yet in my free time my thoughts still fall to life in Kenya: how it was different, what I liked, what I didn't like, what I'm more grateful for here. I was only in Kenya for six months. Yet try telling me "only six months" and I will tell you that it's LONG ENOUGH to experience significant cultural differences, to learn new skills, to experience both new births and the new experience of death, to meet people that will forever change my life, to change. It sounds short but when you live it- there were days that felt like forever.
To be honest, I still feel like I am in a different world than the friends and family around me. I feel like no one understands what I've been through and even when I tell them stories (which is nice) they still don't get it. I come back home from hanging out with people wanting a deeper connection or feeling like I'm missing something. I wish there was a way to connect the two worlds which are miles and miles apart.
Everyone else may see the same girl, but I feel so different internally. So changed, and remade, broken, scarred, yet healed at the same time- it's just different. My worldview has changed and I see people through different lenses then when I left (blessing and a curse). I guess this my friends is the beautiful and hard thing about traveling, you always come back a different then you left and you will always miss the places you visit and memories you experience in between it all.
Right now I'm just trying to figure out my purpose for life and work back here. I want to dive headfirst into service and community and work- but I also want to be mentally healthy and prepared. I want to take the time to listen to God to find out where He's leading and what He has in mind for me. I would love to get more into health coaching or being a nurse that can influence people to choose better nutrition and better exercise patterns, but I have to pray for the right opportunity and time for that.
