So it’s
been 1 month since I got off the plane at Norfolk International, officially
marking the end of my Peace Corps service. Readjustment has been a mixed bag I
must say. One of the first things I noticed, and that I was told by other PCVs
would be my experience, was an overwhelming sense of overstimulation.
Everything in America is large, its busy, its colorful, and its plentiful. There is no small, dull, simple, and quiet. I
also noticed that compared to Togo the environment here appeared incredibly organized
and artificial. In Togo, even in the larger cities, you never feel physically
or metaphorically far from the bush. My initial reaction in the US, even after
spending some time in the mountains of Tennessee since my return, is that both
physically and, I guess, spiritually, we are light years away from the natural
environment; for better or worse.
Although I feel now that I have
become ‘readjusted’ to life here, there are still those moments where I realize
that I still haven’t quite gotten used to American life. I still have moments where
I wander around lost in the grocery store or in a big warehouse store
(orientation at Toy ‘R Us was painfully overwhelming). I could go on and on
about what’s been difficult about readjustment but for the sake of not sounding
whiney I’ll spare you that laundry list.
I think
that what I’ve realized is that even more so than I originally anticipated, I
feel a deep connection to my friends back in Togo, to my village, to the
country of Togo, to the region, and to the continent at large even. Walking
through the African art hall of the Chrysler Museum and seeing wood-workings
from Burkina, Mali, Benin, Ghana and other West African countries (not Togo
unfortunately) I just wanted to shout “Hey! I was there! I’ve seen people
making stuff like that!” But then I realized that no one would be able to share
in my excitement, or much less even care.
My pastor
was telling me about a church parishioner who was given a talk about her time
in India. He was disgusted by her recounting of her experience, as she went on
and on about the physical challenges, about the lack of sanitation, how
everything was so dirty and everyone was so poor, blah blah blah….Without even recognizing
that maybe there were aspects about the way they live that are attractive, that
have merit. Her essential thesis was “They are poor and miserable, America is
so much better.” While the lives of those in developing countries definitely
should not be romanticized, I empathized with my pastor’s disgust and probably
would have thought the same thing had I been there to hear the talk.
That is
perhaps one of the greatest lessons I have taken from the Peace Corps that
perhaps didn’t really fully develop until I returned to the States. Despite the
challenges that may exist wherever you are, there is always something positive
you can take from an area. Usually that comes in the value of the people
themselves. They may think, feel, and behave differently from you but you can
always find value in their way of life. This is not to say that I prefer Togo
to the States (because I don’t- we live in the greatest nation on the planet,
no doubt), but there are things I definitely miss about Togo, especially about
the people that I came to know and love. As my friend Lloyd once said to me, “Some
people will never be happy where they are and will always blame it on the
place. I’ve found that you can always find something good about where you are.”
That’s what
so exciting about travel- experiencing newness and what’s seemingly “out of the
ordinary”. It’s exciting, it’s refreshing, and when you leave it always leaves
you longing for it time and time again.
