Back in the U.S.A.!

Well, I've officially been home, as in Washburn, WI for a month now. Things here are...the SAME. It is really great to be back in my little town on the lake, but I tend to miss Cairo once in awhile. Especially when things like public transportation don't exist...but, I truly see this town in a new light. I appreciate the trees, fresh air, and the cleanliness of everything. Recently, during my town's Homecoming, which only happens every five years, a local theater did a piece on the history of Washburn. I was amazed and shocked, as I didn't know most of it. I'm pretty sure I've seen that show before, but I guess it was with a very different perspective than I have now!


Those first two weeks were tough; living with my family again, speaking English, and seeing old friends. One of the hardest parts is hearing friends talk about all the things that went on in the past year and being totally lost. But, you get over that too. When I see people for the first time they ALWAYS ask "So, How was Egypt?" as if I could answer that question in a word, or even a sentence. I usually end up just smiling and saying something along the lines of "It was awesome!" but we all know that's a lame excuse for an answer. The other great question is, "Can you speak some Arabic for me?" with this question I don't really know what you want me to say in Arabic so I tend to talk about the weirdest things like people's shoes or the dream I had last night, it's good practice if I come up with creative things to say...and it's not like people can tell!

My last week in Cairo was quite bittersweet, I went around to see things for the last time and had to say goodbye to my family, but I also knew I was going to come home and have a fun summer. Our orientation in D.C was really helpful. There were almost 25 of us that had been in five different countries for the past year, meeting up for the first time since our departures in August 2009. Deb and Darin, our program facilitators (for lack of the exact titles), told us what going through reverse culture shock is like, and what to expect, though I never really believed it until it was actually happening! I would say that coming back is harder than going abroad in the short term. In D.C. we met with Senator Lugar to talk about our experiences, some of us interviewed for a TV station from the Middle East and I attempted to speak some Arabic, and we met with other senators to try to inform them about how important it is for our program to receive funding in the future. Overall, I would say it was a productive orientation!

A couple days after I got home I started working at my job from last summer, the bakery, to keep myself busy. I went camping with my family in lower Michigan, went to a Brad Paisley concert with my best friend in Chicago, and am learning to drive so I can get my full license before the school year starts. In early August Elle and I are going to give a presentation about our experiences and give people some knowledge about Egyptian and Thai culture. (August 11 at 7:00 pm in the downstairs of the Washburn Public Library). There will be Thai and Egyptian food to try!!! We recently helped out with the Pre-Departure Orientation for the kids from our area that are going abroad in the next year. There were three alumni members there and it was fun to bounce experiences off each other and to compare. I'm excited for the students coming to my high school this next year from all around the world!!!



I'd really like to say thank you for all the people that have made my exchange year possible, from both sets of parents to Deb and Darin/AFS-USA to the State Department who provided the funding. My friends and teachers as well, as without their support I would not be where or who I am today! Thanks everybody!



Oh, really weird: while in Egypt I dreamed in Arabic only a few times and it was never me speaking the Arabic, now back in the U.S. I have dreams in Arabic much more frequently and even weirder, it's my friends and family from Washburn having conversations with me in Arabic like it's nothing! Kinda cool though...



Wa7ashtini ya Masr!!!

My friends and I after they picked me up from the airport! My family greated me as I came out of the terminal and my friends just popped up, and it took me a really long time to notice. Haha!

My brother, sister, and I on Lake Michigan on our camping trip.

My family and our exchange student, Esmat from Kenya, on his last day.