Unwind

I’ve always been a somewhat tightly wound personality, and presumably am even more so when teaching. Even when I was an instructional assistant, it took me about a week into summer to unwind and relax. Now with all the intense experiences I had this last school year plus cultural transition back into Western society and family life, I’ve been trying to be more intentional about the debreifing/unwinding (and I’d have said “decompressing” but looked it up and it’s a fairly technical diving term) process. But I don’t want to slip into a depression from feeling purposeless in the summer, so I’ve also tried to be intentional about volunteering my time and services for the benefit of the local community.

So here’s where I’m at and what I’ve been doing with my time. My last post was written while I was on a somewhat spur-of-the-moment “Transition Vacation” in Bahrain. It’s a nice island kingdom in the Middle East, which has the religious culture I’m used to in Central Asia, but is a little more Westernized and touristy, so I could relax a bit (didn’t have to wear a head covering in the street), see the sights, and wander the city safely. It was great. I don’t think I thought about very much the whole time. Just let my brain rest and enjoy life.

Now I’ve been back in the States for a week. I’ve spent some time with family (and am looking forward to lots more time throughout the summer), helped out with yardwork at my mom’s house, been a cabin leader for a kids’ retreat at the camp I worked at as a teen/college student, helped make props for the local university’s production of Alice in Wonderland, took the dog for a nice quiet day at the coast, nearly caught up on Once Upon a Time episodes, and ridden mom’s bike around the lake and river areas here. And of course worked on some personal things, including getting set up for some official debriefing/counseling.

All that sounds like a lot, but don’t worry, I’ve had plenty of time sitting around the house and reading (or playing on Facebook). Not sure how much it’s all helping, but I don’t feel like I’ve been stuck in the “funk” I felt during Christmas vacation here. I feel a lot more balanced. And I’m sure the counselor will help me debrief some of the experiences of the school year in Central Asia.

I’ve had some time to reflect on some of the ways I’ve changed this year. My focus and purpose in life is changing. I’m working on becoming less self-centered (so I feel a bit strange writing blog posts that are all about me, but I guess it’s part of the processing experience and people keep asking me how I am so I guess it’s okay). I’ve changed in some funny ways too: Because Wii “Just Dance” is one of our favorite forms of entertainment on the compound, I’ve found myself listening to the pop stations much more than usual in my car and caught myself singing and dancing along with a One Direction song (this rock ‘n’ roller has never liked boy bands!). From where I’ve been living, I feel like I’m more brave but also more paranoid. I really can’t answer the question “Do you feel safe there?” yet. But I know I’m teaching where I’m supposed to be and I take courage in that. I’m appreciating the green scenery in my home state much more after living in the high desert. And I’ve realized I’m more of an introvert than I used to be, but I really enjoyed living with three other gals and living “in community” on the compound (it even feels a bit like a hippie commune sometimes! But I love how we all pitch in and help each other).

So that’s where I’m at. Still processing. Unwinding. Relaxing. But trying to also accomplish some things too to keep me on track (and keep me from becoming a couch potato for the summer). Of course that’ll be easier when I take a grad class later this summer, but for now I’m excited to help friends and family around here, and enjoy summer (I know, it’s only spring here still, but it feels like summer since I’m out of school!).

I’ll post some pics from Bahrain just for fun: