Adjusting Back to Iowa

Wow! I can’t believe it has been over a month since I moved back to Iowa from Guyana. The transition has been an interesting one to say the least. Everywhere I turn I have been asked lots of questions (as have my parents which they struggle to answer some). I thought it would be good to write all of you wonderful and interested people a blog talking about readjusting back to the United States.

To be all honest with you I have really been struggling with moving back to Iowa. It has been a lot of things that are strange, upsetting, different, and the same and it is hard to put into words what exactly I am feeling. I knew as we were debriefing in Guyana that I potentially was going to struggle, but I wasn’t sure how much. In the words of the Waldorf Music Lounge, “the struggle is real.”

The very first thing I noticed when I got home was how cold I was. Eric and I were walking through the Minneapolis airport and I was visibly shaking I was so cold. Almost every day since then I have been chilly and everyone thinks I’m crazy for that. I am slowly starting to get used to the weather, but I still make sure to bring at minimum a light jacket with me. I have rather appreciated the days that everyone else around me has hated and called “hot and muggy.” Those days I have felt like I am back in Guyana doing my thing, and it is wonderful!

So many things are different for me know. I spent about three weeks without a job, so I did not have a whole lot to do. I traveled a bit for Sheltered Reality, and helped out with painting a rental house. I even started cleaning my bedroom at my parent’s house I got so bored. I sometimes have felt like a sitting duck. I also have felt strange being back in Lake Mills. I know I call it home, but at the same time it does not feel like home any more. I have spent so much time away that I put my roots somewhere else, and it makes it hard to say I am home again. A good friend of mine who also taught in a different country sent me an article one night called “What It’s Like When Your Hometown No Longer Feels Like It’s Your Home,” and it really hit the nail on the head. It’s hard to believe that I was only gone for ten months. To me, I feel like I have been gone for years. Most of my friends no longer live in the area, or are working all the time so those connections to Lake Mills are basically gone. It is a really interesting article, and I encourage you all to read it.

Something else that has really thrown me for a loop since returning to the U.S. is the dependency on driving that we have here. In New Amsterdam I walked everywhere. The only time I took a car was if I had a lot to carry or I had to go over the bridge to Canje. I loved being able to walk everywhere. That is a lot harder to do here. I have really enjoyed taking evening walks on the bike trails around town, but for me to do most anything I have to drive places. Going shopping, you drive to Mason City. Going to church, I drive to Mason City. Going to work, I drive to Forest City. I am pretty sure I have spent more time in the car over the month and a half that I have been home than I did the entire time I was out of the country. That’s pretty crazy. I suppose that is also part of living in small town rural Iowa.

There have been things that have also been assisting me in my adjustment period. Almost immediately after getting home I took a road trip with Sheltered Reality for six days. That helped me not sit at home for a little bit not knowing what to do with my life. I was able to be in the States for a week or two before that set in. During that road trip I went to Sioux Falls where I got to see Dan and the rest of the Sailer family. It was fun to see Dan again as I hadn’t seen him for about two weeks and we were able to talk about transitioning home and what we were doing this summer. I also got to see Dan when I attended DCI Minnesota. I was able to pick him up from the Boston Crusader’s rehearsal to get some lunch and then visit with Eric before the show. That was a really fun day. I also was able to attend the GLMA Summer Lime. For those of you that do not know what that it, it is a fundraising night where we get together, have some food, talk about GLMA, celebrate our first year of school, and showcase our students. I was able to attend and tell a little bit of my GLMA story. That was a wonderful night of memories, stories, and meeting new people. I have also started my job at Mosaic again. I have switched what home I am working at, but all of the clients I had prior to Guyana I have again. I missed those kids so much, and I am happy to be working with them once again! Finally the thing that has been helping me transition back the most is the fact that I am doing it with Dan, Claire, and Emily Bell. All four of us spent a year teaching music in another country away from our family and friends. We grew and have new experiences. I have really appreciated the fact that if I am struggling or need to freak out about something I can turn to them.

Transitioning back to the States has been a struggle. People ask me all the time if I am happy to be home, and I never know if I should say yes or no. Yes, I am happy to see so many friends again. No, I am freezing and miss many, many people in Guyana. So, if you ask me that question I am probably going to give you the so-so sign and make some strange noise. No matter what my transition is like, however, it is time to get prepared for the next chapter of my life. This fall I will be student teaching K-12 grade vocal and instrumental music at North Iowa Community School District, attending Waldorf, and working for Mosaic on the weekends. Hopefully I will have a few Sheltered Reality shows sprinkled throughout there, but I don’t know for sure. All I know is that I am ready to get my student teaching done so that I can get back out into the world and continue my passion of sharing music education with others!