3 weeks in (or, right on time)

During our orientation week at Lincoln, we had a woman come speak with us about culture shock, and she showed us a line graph predicting our emotional highs and lows. The process begins with the "honeymoon stage." The line graph (aka, us) begins to dip downward as we struggle with feelings of sadness, loneliness, and not belonging. These feelings begin to manifest in the human body with excessive tiredness, sickness, and obsessive behaviors (ie, preoccupation with staying hydrated). But as people begin to form new friendships in the new country and realize they can remain in regular contact with family back home, their comfort increases and the line shoots up again. But then line dives again through to the third week, at which point the line diverges. People either continue to feel out of place and homesick or they begin to adjust to their new culture and feel at home (in which case the line levels off).

So after reading all that, most of it hasn't applied to me. I'd say I've been cruising in the "honeymoon stage" for these last three weeks. But in the last few days I've found my mind wandering more and more to friends and family back home, wondering what I'm missing out on in your lives. It started when I heard Ricky Martin's "La Copa de la Vida" over the radio. It was bittersweet; I smiled to hear a song from linedancing but it was also hard to remember that that chapter of my life is over, along with so much else. I think for the most part it's been easy for me to adjust because there's not too much that reminds me of the U.S. (aside from all the imported goods) so I've really been able to invest in the people here. But now that the novelty's worn off a little and I'm pretty well established I can't help but think of you guys. So then I go and do probably the most foolish thing I can think of: I read the letters you sent with me. I meant to only open one or two but then I got all wrapped up in it I ended up opening half of them. And yeah, then I might or might not have blubbered nonsensically on some answering machines. But what I was trying to tell you guys (in my own very ungraceful way) is that I so truly and deeply appreciate your friendship. Like I said before I left, you guys mean the absolute WORLD to me and I love you with all my heart. Thank you for listening and sharing with me, thank you for laughing with me, thank you for teaching me, and thank you for praying with me. You really are the best friends I could ever hope for.

Ok ok, I'll stop now. I'm such a sapball sometimes.