Now I struggle to remember certain little niceties of life (not necessarily toilet paper � people here use that as well!) but just in general, things that I used to have at home that are no longer part of my daily functioning. (That reminds me � I used to think that bathroom downstairs was an insult to humanity, and now it just seems like a regular public bathroom. The bathroom hasn�t changed�)
I don�t know � some of these things that I think I �go without� are more important than others. Not having special hair products, an international variety of food, power outlets that don�t spark, and things that last longer than a month without breaking are things that I expected to give up in the Peace Corps, even things I wanted to give up. They are not as important as living in a transparent, fair and merit-based society (which I currently don�t). I really miss communicating with people that share not only my language but my culture, and all the values that even diverse representatives from one culture share.
But the point isn�t about the flip side (advantages of service) of all the negatives I am listing. The point is that living the past year in another culture has gotten me accustomed to things here and the way they function (or don�t function). Our one-year anniversary two days ago and revisiting the town where it all started and having that place look �normal� has proven to me that I am the only thing that has changed.
It makes me even more excited to come home next month. I am constantly thinking about raiding my old closet and seeing all the nice things that I left behind to come here (and snagging a bunch of them to bring back, too!). And speaking in English, driving a car, not putting up with people who talk in circles�
But who needs all that, anyway?