Eric finds himself more more patient and present since his return

It has been nearly 2 weeks since we descended on a cold, gray, and rainy John F. Kennedy Airport after having seen rain only a handful of times during our 3.5 months in Cape Town. It seemed like an appropriate welcome given the general sentiment towards returning home. Nonetheless, the dreariness abated when I saw my parents, sister, and girlfriend waiting for me after I had collected my baggage. It was really nice to enjoy some of the amenities available at my own home, like my bed, my dog, reliable Internet, and a home-cooked meal.

I have been keeping really busy ever since I got back, which has helped ease some of the reverse-homesickness I might have felt if I just holed myself up in my room and didn’t speak to anyone. I went to UConn for a few days to visit my friends at school before staying with my brother in DC for a night on our way down to the University of Virginia to see Dave Matthews Band. Since I was so close, I decided to drive an extra few hours to Virginia Tech to visit my best friend. Just today I got back from a few days with my girlfriend at the University of Rhode Island and a trip to Connecticut College to see my cousin’s a capella concert, where I saw my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

During this time I saw many people who of course asked me about my time in South Africa. I did as best as I could to touch on all aspects of my experience, and I did appreciate when I got more specific questions (How was the clinic? What did you miss most about home? What do you miss most now that you’re home? What was the most difficult thing you saw?). However, I must say that the overall interest and curiosity in my trip has been underwhelming compared to what I expected. With the exception of family members and my closest friends, very few people have been willing to engage me in conversations on some of the more challenging aspects of my semester, like my exposure to race, gender, and class differences. I understand that my friends were all engrossed in studying for finals, that these discussions are time-consuming, and that very few people want to listen to me drone on about something they can’t relate to. One of my goals coming home was to keep up this sense of activism and to spread awareness of issues I have come to be so passionate about. I have found it difficult so far to break through this wall, but I am confident that over the summer or when I return to school, I will be able to provide some perspective as my friends and I discuss pertinent current events.

So far, the biggest change I have noticed in myself is that I am much more patient and present. I don’t walk as fast or as rushed as I usually do and often find myself just looking around me. In conversation, I try and talk as long as the conversation will go, even if it makes me a little late for something else. I have also found that I am more understanding when something is taking too long to get done. I used to be very inconvenienced by these delays, but I just take things as they come now.

Overall, re-entry has been a lot smoother than I had anticipated. I really enjoy talking about my experiences and showing pictures when asked, but I try not to make it the sole topic of conversation. It has been nice to shoot a text to my co-educators when I see something online that reminds me of them because in this way we can stay connected. I have little doubt that some of us will get together over the summer to hang out and reminisce!