Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I'm home at last, staying with mom and dad. It's really strange to be back here...in many ways it feels like no time has passed at all, in other ways it feels like I've been gone forever. One thing's for sure; when you visit home after being in the Peace Corps, your parents and friends will spoil you like crazy (this has been confirmed by other volunteers).

Back in Guatemala I didn't really believe the other volunteers who told me how hard it is to come back after going home to the States. I do now. It's going to be hard. Something about being back here, seeing my friends and family, just makes me realize what I'm missing when I'm out in my site, washing clothes in my pila or reading books in my hammock. I think in-country I'm forced to convince myself that I'm not missing anything. But being back here everything I miss most is right there in front of me, and I find it's harder to enjoy it knowing that I'll be leaving again so soon. The things I miss most that I don't/can't have in Guatemala:

1. My social life. Having friends, people to hang out with, shoot the shit...that's something I don't expect I'll ever have with Guatemalans. There's just too much in the way.

2. My family.

3. Live music shows and hot yoga classes.

4. Living in Chicago, despite the despicable cold.

The other stuff I really can do without...and that's a good thing to know about myself. Eating pizza, taking hot showers and wearing nice clothes is great, I'll admit it, but nothing I can't live without. And what's with all the iPhones, hm? I got off the plane in Houston and all I saw were iPhones. And Starbucks cups.

But it's the holidays, so I'm going to aprovechar of the little time I do have to soak up as much of these four things as I can. Because like it or not it's gonna have to tide me over for another 19 months.

On a side note, it's been surprisingly hard to readjust to the habit of flushing the toilet paper. I keep looking for the toilet paper basket to throw it in, and then I realize where I am. Habits die hard, I guess.