5 weeks, 4 countries, 3 continents, 21 cities (Dakar, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Ischia, Syracuse, Messina, Palermo, Cefalu, Florence, Chambery, Annecy, Chamonix, Paris, Neenah, Milwaukee, West Bend, Green Bay, Grenoble, Venice, and Verona)
Overall it was great. But it feels really good to be back, in my room, not having to live out of a backpack. My host family even opened my room up and cleaned everything! I am a lucky girl.
In the last few days in Europe, I was trying to do everything that I wouldn’t be able to do in Senegal, like wear a hoodie, eat ice cream, drink wine in public while site-seeing with other crazy foreigners and not being judged or stared at by locals, not to mention all the while speaking English. I took many pictures of Grenoble, Venice and Verona but I broke my camera on my second to last day. All of them are lost, including pictures taken at home. Thank goodness I saved the first half of my trip online already. I’m rather upset but have yet again taken up the attitude that I really shouldn’t stress about the things I can’t control. Otherwise I would be a nutcase 24/7. I got my camera fixed and will begin taking pictures again soon.
Europe was fun. I think I had the most fun meeting other travelers, getting/giving advice about what to do and exchanging email addresses. It was difficult coming back to Europe after being home for only 10 days, and was rather depressed. But once I was on my way back, it started to be fun again and the people I was meeting only made it better. While wandering around one night with new friends in Rome, I even saw a couple get engaged! We were at the Trevi fountain, all lit up beautifully, and I saw him go down on his knee; pull out the ring, and she, speechless, was only able to kiss him. I think it was a yes!
There are some pretty spectacular things in Europe that will keep me coming back, but in my time abroad in the last year, I have really realized how wonderful our country is and how many people there are that I just can’t live without. I will eventually go back to Europe, but next time it will be more planned out and with someone else.
So now I am back to my Senegalese reality. I have plenty here to keep me occupied, that’s for sure! I got in this afternoon and started greeting everyone and handing out a few gifts. It’s Ramadan so no one is eating anything so I will save the hard candies for later but they seem to enjoy most the photos that I printed out of them and a brand new soccer ball. I plan to greet, talk, fast (well I did just one day and that was enough – give me a break, going from a European-American diet to no food and water in 100 degrees, 1 day, like I said, plenty)and hand out presents for the next 2 days. I am going to Dakar to see off some volunteers who are leaving, while also in the next few weeks I get to train the new volunteers who just got in last week. I will be going to Ndem, planning a girl’s night to celebrate my 3 scholarship winners, composting, fish selling and who knows what else! It stresses me out to think of everything I have to do but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 14 months to go! Now I just need to re-acclimate to the awfully hot weather…
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