Since when did my happiness depend on how
many showers I have in one week, whether there’s homemade cheese for breakfast,
and if I my underwear have dried after laundry day?
In the past few months, I have felt a shift
in the things that I value: hot showers, good food, clean laundry. I live in a
village where my family can’t find a way to get internet in the house, dryers
don’t exist, and baking soda must be imported from Turkey.
I know this now; I don’t take advantage of
the little things now, but it’s one of those things that I feel will quickly be
forgotten when I get back to the States. In a world where grocery stores are
open past dark, sugar can be bought in bulk, and free Wi-Fi is available at
every street corner, how can I remember to take appreciate those things? I
caught a glimpse of myself as I walked past the mirror – carrying a bucket of
very cold, dripping clothes, in a black skirt, sweater, and slippers with
5-day-old hair – and I thought, “I could do this. I could live in a village.”
I think it’s a place that anyone who has
traveled comes to…whether you’re living in another country or you’re on a
week-long trip to a different culture…you realize that there are differences.
But how do you reconcile your life at home with the new life you’ve encountered
and immersed yourself in?
I realize that I’m not going back to the
States for another 18 weeks (yes, I’m keeping track), but it’s something that I
want to start preparing for now. I’m a stronger person as a result of this
experience, and I don’t want that to change. That doesn’t mean that I’m going
to insist on taking only one shower per week or hanging my laundry outside to
dry in the winter, but I want to stay the person I have become, and I want to
take pleasure in the simple things.
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