Home is nice, but it's not really home-like. My parents moved to Iowa while I was in Gabon (in December). So coming home meant going to a house I'd never seen in my life, meeting a new dog that I had never pet, going to a new church, meeting a million new people, being introduced to a new grocery store chain (Hyvee...it's kinda a weird name but a nice store) and trying to remember that I'm in Iowa and not Ohio. On the whole it's not bad at all, but it is not the home I'm used to!
Before coming to Iowa I spent a few days in NYC with Heather. That was amazing. Time Square is gross though. Especially after Africa. It's nauseating. But I'm a fan of amazing food in NY and Coney Island. Heather and I were the only ones screaming bloody murder on the Ferris wheel at Coney Island, but I'm not sure why. All I have to say is do NOT go on the swinging cages (or whatever you're supposed to call them). You may die. Or wish that you were dead, anything to not have to keep swinging wildly with nothing to hold on to. Eek. It makes my blood run cold just remembering the terror. Here we are, absolutely terrified:
After 2 and a half days in New York I flew to MN where Mom, Dad, Kristi, and my Aunt Rita and Uncle Eric picked me up. Because it was memorial day they got there just about the same time I did. I thought I wouldn't see them till after the baggage claim part for some reason so I was terribly surprised when I saw mom and Kristi staring over a balcony at the baggage claim as I exited a long hallway. They kept staring down there (apparently looking to see if they'd missed me) and then they looked at me, and then went back to looking for me below. I guess the braided hair and purple african ensemble threw them off a bit. But just before I gave them both a hug they recognized me (or Kristi did, mom wasn't sure who she was hugging at first). It was nice to see them all and Aunt Rita made us a great dinner and we went on a walk before we drove the 3 hours Iowa.
The next day we drove out to Fort Wayne to see Grandpa Dick and Grandma Sue and Phillip and Marcella who were also in Ft. Wayne getting their car worked on. We ended up staying there a while longer than expected as the place kept finding parts that needed ordered. It was nice to get to see everyone there though. And thankfully their car is now running well!
After a few days in Fort Wayne we drove to Toledo where Marcella's family lives. The next day Phillip flew out to Spain for research. Marcella is staying with her family while Phillip is gone for a month.
We drove down to Lima and got to see some friends, which I was super excited about. It was a short visit, but I was so glad we got to go!
Then we drove back to Fort Dodge the next day after breakfast with more friends.
During all this time I talked with mom and dad and we determined that for financial reasons going to Mexico isn't actually going to pan out. I'm really sad about this. I was terribly nervous about the whole thing but also excited. Still, I think everything will work out just fine.
My current plan is to try and find a summer job here while I work on applying to a Nanny and Governess school. It includes 3 months of training and then they'll help me get a job. It will be a good way to pay off school loans and I'm really very excited about getting to work with kids more.
I loved watching Luke and Sarah and while I'm sure it will be a rather different situation I'm glad for all that I learned there and for the chance to do something similiar while being able to pay off loans so I can eventually get to the missionfield somewhere.
For now though, I'm just working on applications and unpacking. It's not terribily exciting. Plus I got this doozy of a cold which had me laid out for part of yesterday and today. But I've decided I should be better tomorrow, hopefully my body will decide to cooperate.
Alright, it's 1am, and since coming back I keep waking up at 6 or 7 so I'd better go to sleep before it's time to get up!
Jessica
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