| | It's hard to imagine that I was soaking up the hot sun just 33 days ago, but here I am just completing the medication I was required to take to prevent myself from getting malaria. I've been on malaria medication for the past two years, which many of us have taken to blaming most of our mental problems and strange dreams on, and now I'm through. I never had malaria, but I did have weird dreams, but then, I was dreaming about weird stuff before I went to Tanzania.
On my way back, I might have mentioned here that I lost one of my bags. It was a drag, because it got in the way of me reuniting with Christina. Well, one day a few weeks ago, I got a call from England, and it was someone with my airlines telling me that they found my bag, and that it looked like everything was there, but that I probably would not recognize the bag. Okay. . . Almost a day or so later, I got a call from a guy at 11:30 at night saying he was outside trying to deliver my bag, except that he was in Chicago at my permanent residence and I was in Champaign at my current place. Well, my uncle answered and received the bag and told him 'thanks' to which he replied that it was the first thanks he had gotten all night.
Now, when I got to my uncle's place, I already assumed that the bag would be different, and so it didn't surprise me that much when I saw it - a nice roll-around bag a bit bigger than the one I had before. I wasn't that impressed though, since the bag I was told I lost was a pretty expensive and nice bag, and I hoped the replacement was of good enough quality. Well, I took a look and it was nice, and brand new (not that mine was in bad shape), but I was still skeptical as to whether this was a fair trade. It was better than nothing.
Next, I opened it up to check inventory of all the stuff, and see if they lost any of it, and right there inside this bag is my old bag!! It had all my stuff in there too, the zippers were open, however, and maybe the person just got frustrated trying to close it and decided to send it in a bag. I take it as a good sign though. What was in the bag you might ask? All of the letters that Christina wrote to me throughout the entire two years! Yikes! It was a bit risky putting them all together, but I had to pack the smallest bag I had with the most dense stuff I had, which came down to the letters and some other souvenirs. Thank Goodness I got my bag back!!
So, a month down and I feel like this is normal. All of it - I'm having a hard time realizing that I was really gone for two years. I am working again - I got a job rather speedily back where I used to substitute teach in Champaign and this time, I have tracked down all of the science teachers I could find in order to give them my info so that when they are out, they can request me and I might actually get to do something related to my field someday. So far I have subbed as a special ed, english, speech, and spanish teacher (i didnt have to speak spanish, but I did tell them I knew swahili). Anyway, I have been told that there is a great need for substitute teachers, but I really haven't been called that many days, and instead, I called the district a few times, and thought I was being sneaky by asking for jobs, until I met another sub who works almost every day because he calls in and asks for them. I guess that's the strategy to having work. Also, I have completed the application for the next district over, in Urbana, so that I might actually get my week filled more with work. It all seems so temporary. I would rather have my own class and my own niche, but that has to wait until I am properly certified.
It's Christmas time, and I am looking forward to the convergence of family and friends in the next few weeks. I feel comfortable now, and I wonder if I will be tired of explaining the last two years to people. I don't worry about people getting what I'm saying, since I know Christina always gets me.
As I have been re-integrating, I have noticed my appreciation for some random things, starting with the nasty spluttering cold November rain that I witnessed after returning. Its just that I have spent so long envisioning this and to finally see it is cheering me up without notice or reason. I have been amazed/impressed with the following: crunching of salt as I walked in Chicago (that means that there was a planner thinking of keeping the sidewalks ice-free and the simple fact that there was ICE) the insides of various malls and all the people (wow!), the incredible number of gas stations that are EVERYWHERE, free water at a restaurant, and just generally the christmas feeling. Its good to be back.
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| | Posted 12/19/2007 3:10 AM - 50 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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