Out of Range

Clement and I are in the States. After 26 months I stepped into JFK and back into the whirlwind of life here in the US. Two years is a significant chunk of time and before the trip I worried a bit about the possibility of reverse culture shock. I anticipated at least one emotional breakdown - perhaps in a grocery store or Times Square or my parents' house. But in reality, the joyful reunions with beloved friends and family eclipsed the mundane obscenities of American consumer culture. The humming cities became mere backdrops; familiar and mostly pleasant dreams.

This is Clement's first trip abroad and so he has a greater right to culture shock but because he is such a calm person I tend to forget that everything is new, especially riding the subway and watching Spiderman 3 in an Imax theatre. In general it has been wonderful to be able to show him my world and introduce him to my friends and family. My favorites of his firsts were: viewing New York from the observation deck of the Empire States building, dipping our fingers into the ocean in San Francisco and tasting the sea, and driving through the quiet city streets in Austin at night.

For me the best part has been time with friends and family. I really missed them. Months ago I emailed my eleven midwifery classmates and told them I would be in the Bay Area. They rented a house in Point Reyes and ten of them drove and flew from all over for a four day weekend. Food, chocolate, wine, stories, laughter, and love were abundant. (Clement was spared and spent the weekend with my dear friend Apur and his partner Sabrina). I spent the following weekend camping in Big Sir with three dear friends. The joy exceeds all my pre-trip fantasies. I have amazing friends.

I also missed places. I missed San Francisco, the smells from coffee shops and bakeries I used to bike by in the mornings, the parks, the hills, the ocean, the bridge, the visual feasts. I missed Austin, the warm nights, the sounds of birds and bugs, the green hills (unfortunately now spotted with many more condos and less green). We are in Austin now with my parents; my personal epicenter of warmth and love. Clement will leave Sunday. I still have another month here. I will travel to North Carolina for a wedding, Washington DC, Detroit to visit my dad's family, Austin again, Boston, then New York and finally back to Malawi. I feel blessed beyond words. I also feel that I still belong in Africa but I hope to visit again next year.