I am going to get straight to the point. Today, I miss home.
For those of you who know me, my feelings about home has always been more on the negative side. It was never really easy growing up in a small Southern town as an Asian American. I never truly felt like I belonged in the Delph and always had these conflicting opinions and values.
However, as I ride on the overcrowded marshrutkas and walk through the underground tunnels in Bishkek, I can't help but feel nostalgic about home. This morning, I fell asleep on the marshrutka with country music playing on my iPod and then woke up to traditional Kyrgyz music blaring as I nearly flew out of my seat from the bumpy roads. I felt distorted and it took me a few seconds to remember where I was.
90% of the time, I really do love being in the Kyrgyz Republic and feel so humble to be able to work and live here. It's just that there are a few days (ok... maybe a little more than a few days) when I want nothing more than to fly back home for the day. The "honeymoon" phase has definitely begun to wear off as I constantly battle the infamous "D". I have a handful of close friends and fellow volunteers here, who are wonderful, but sometimes I just miss my besties from home. I miss familiarity. I miss not having to try so hard with speaking two foreign languages and often failing miserably. I miss my mom. I miss my baby dog, "Happy" (although she's not much of a baby anymore). I miss being able to drive and not having to wait over an hour for a taxi or a marshrutka. I miss that infamous "Southern hospitality". I miss my BBQ and sweet iced tea. I miss the days when life was simple and all you had to do was sit back and relax with the hot summer wind blowing in the sweltering and humid Southern nights (that's right, I even miss that).
I came into the Peace Corps knowing that it wouldn't be easy. I just didn't know how hard it could be sometimes.
My schedule has been filling up since training finally ended. I have begun computer trainings and English language/ FLEX trainings in a few villages. I also started my Kyrgyz and Russian tutoring and hopefully I will be able to speak more understandable "Krussian". Really, anything to get my points across. Throw in some Krussian, a little English and some gestures. I should be be an expert in Gestures by the end of two years. With life becoming more busy, I have less time to miss home. It's just every now and then, it hits me. Today, was one of those days.
So, really, today's post isn't anything special. Rather, it's just a post of me whining. All in all though, life really is good here! I just miss my Southern roots today. :)
Love,
Lida
PS, I had 2-3 unfinished posts from 1-2 months ago that I will eventually post. Be sure to look for those in the coming week!
