I am not returning home permanently, but I am taking a trip back to the U.S.A. for Christmas. I take off on the 19th and return to Ecuador on the 29th. I can’t help but be excited to be returning for a brief period. I initially had purchased my ticket in July, although I didn’t let anyone at home know until October. I was planning to surprise my family. However after careful consideration, I decided that letting them know ahead of time would be best for both of us (I wanted to give my mom enough of a heads up to make some of my favorite foods and to stock the fridge with beer).
I hope to spend some time in Chicago and Madison and then the rest of the time in my hometown of Roscoe, Illinois. It will go quick, 10 days is short, and I already feel like I have too many things I want to do and see. Yet it will be a nice break from Ecuador and an opportunity to treat myself with great food, beer, and company.
It feels like just yesterday that I arrived in Ecuador with a group of Peace Corps trainees I didn’t know. I have been living in a rural Andean indigenous community for over 11 months and it now feels like my home. It’s amazing how easily I have adapted to this life. It has been a struggle at points, but throughout this year I have met many great Ecuadorian people who have helped me adjust effortlessly into my new way of life and helped put my life in the U.S.A. into perspective.
Even further, my fellow Peace Corps volunteers and other travelers I have met along the way have been a great resource for venting, advise, and company to relate with and to reminisce with about the U.S.A. 11 months ago, I took off from O’Hare international to begin this adventure and it has been everything I had expected it to be: challenging, eye-opening, and rewarding.
Taking off 11 months ago for Ecuador
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