Returning Home

12/09/08

In one week I deplane in Minneapolis for a three-week holiday visit. This trip is not without a certain amount of trepidation and angst. Indeed trying to put into words my anxieties without offending my loved ones and friends makes this the hardest blog entry to date. This is the part of the Peace Corps experience mentioned only lightly in the beginning, being the most difficult in the end, returning home.

Just why returning is so difficult, even for a seemingly short time, perplexes me. I see this phenomenon in the faces of my associates who are joining me for a holiday sojourn and even more pronounced on those who are ending their tour of duty. If nothing else, these fears reflect the depth of change in a person about redefining the meaning of home and your place in the cosmos.

With Peace Corps and other such events where a person chooses to step into the void, one is conscience of what is left behind. You want something different. When you find it, your homeport becomes just another place, but it is still the only place where those whom you love and care about reside.