Readjustment Reflections...

They say that readjusting to life in the United States is actually
harder than adjusting to life in Peace Corps. I disagree. I
suppose it is harder if you are expecting it to be seamless--which is
what many volunteers expect. I think it is also harder if you are a
younger volunteer--because you come back and find that your friends
are now in mid-adulthood and when you left they were l playing video
games and cramming for finals. Essentially you are thrown into a
period of life that is weird no matter what (the few years after
college graduation). In my case I am finding this process much
easier, though less gratifying, than adjusting to life in Madagascar.

One important thing to note is that the Peace Corps volunteer fantasy
of talking nonstop about your experiences does not happen. Don't
expect it. It won't happen. And just know that it will be a weird
process full of mind blowing trips to seven eleven. It is a good idea
to have a job and living situation set up before you return to the
United States. I'm sure the readjustment process is harder depending
on how long you are in Peace Corps as well as how rural your post was.
But if you plan a few months to take it easy (not work too much) and
integrate your Peace Corps life with your US life--you'll be fine!

It has been over two months for me and although I still don't feel
normal, I feel fine. It's more the sense that I don't fit in as well
as I used to (and let's face it, I never fit in that well). I'm okay
with that. In the words of Gertrude Stein, "We grow neither better
nor worse as we grow old, but more like ourselves."