I have only been gone 11 weeks but it feels sooo much longer than that! I feel like I lived in another world and yet coming back home feels- at the same time- like I have never left. I still hold on to every memory of the summer tight like I can't let it go; I don't want to ever forget the friends, the kids, and the experiences I had in New Mexico.
I am struggling with sleeping. The room feels so hot and the walls cave in around me and I miss my canvas tent. I miss the wind whipping against the flaps and the cool, desert night air seeping through my zipped open window- and the sounds of the night: wind, bugs, coyotes and the often present sound of thunder rolling across the flat desert and crashing into the surrounding mountains and mesas.
I miss seeing my best friends every day. I miss their laugh, their smiles and their wit and banter. I miss the kids: singing songs, playing games and hiking. I even miss the uniform, the same red polo that the other 1200 staff memebers were wearing. I miss feeling stress free and happy. No school or work or money problems because I put all my focus and energy into living in the moment, being an awesome group leader and having a great summer with my new best friends.
I am super excited for school. I student teach in the spring and things are starting to feel like they are clicking into place. I am ready to head back to CHASP and even teach piano again. But I feel slightly lost and the readjusting is tougher than I thought.
It goes to show that you had an amazing experience in New Mexico that will/has changed your life. Going back to the "norm" after something like that is never easy. Good luck. :)
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