Home again, home again... and reflections

After about 40 hours of travelling, I finally made it home. It was a long trip, but I had a fantastic sendoff in San Luis and a great welcoming committee in Saranac Lake. The other people on the plane (all 5 of them) were amazed to see my family (including the dog) all decked out in red, white, and blue with welcome home signs. 

Despedida with friends

Settling in at home wasn't as easy as i expected it to be. For one thing, it took a me a while to get used to using English again. That means I was definitely immersed when I was in Argentina, but it has been a little bit challenging to get my brain to work in this mode again. I also dove right back in to parenthood, but things have changed a lot since I left! That certainly took some getting used to. I've also been surprised by cultural things- I miss some things about Argentina, like frankness, the greetings, and some of the other customs. And the hot dogs here have nothing on choripan!

People have asked me some interesting questions since I left San Luis. Here are the most common:
-Was it worth it?
-What will you miss the most about San Luis? Argentina?
-Was it hard being away from your family?
-What seems the strangest to you now that you're home?

For the record, my answers are (in order):
-Yes. Different from what I expected, but one of the most meaningful experiences I have ever had.
-My friends. Cortados in blocke cuatro. Speaking Spanish all the time. Alfajores!
-Incredibly.
-Only shaking hands when you meet someone. In Argentina it's always more- usually a kiss on the cheek.

I'm hoping to keep up with this blog now that I'm back, but given the demands of parenting, the report I'm working on for Fulbright, getting ready for next year, and relaxing a bit, my posts will probably be less frequent. Thanks to everyone who has followed along, I hope you've gotten as much out of reading my entries as I did by writing them.