“Home Alone Syndrome” is what I like to call it. You arrive home after a lengthy trip — maybe you’ve been living abroad for a year or two — and…
A Few of the Strangest Things: On Readjustment to US Life
Giant local parking lot, with not a building or a person in sight… I recently moved back to the US after living abroad as an urban Peace Corps Volunteer in…
Close of Service: Goodbye, Peace Corps Colombia!
On Dec 6, 2013, I rang the bell marking the “Close of Service,” or COS, of my Peace Corps Service in Colombia. My service, like most things anticipated since forever,…
Returning Home: Reverse Culture Shock
Returning from Peace Corps service left Samantha split between two cultures: American and Moldovan. Image from cabincrewdreamer.blogspot.com. I totally underestimated what it would feel like to move back to a…
Finding Home: A Return
When I left Kenya a year ago, I thought I’d be back shortly after the New Year. I envisioned going home to California for the fall, catching up with friends…