I'm Excited!

I woke up this morning to e-mails and Facebook messages from four of my favorite people in the world: my parents and two sisters. And I felt excited to know that I’ll see them soon because I’m heading to Chicago in THREE WEEKS!

This summer I’m excited...

1. To spend time with my family. I can’t wait for family dinners, talking to my favorite people, hearing their stories, and laughing a lot (my sisters are the funniest people I know). I’m excited for the wonderful, happy, laughter and love-filled chaos of living with my family for a month! I love them a lot!

2. To spend time with friends. Like my family, they’ve braved extreme time zone differences to Skype with me this year and their efforts to stay in touch warm my heart. We’ve all survived our first year after receiving our undergraduate degrees and I can’t wait to get together with everyone! I’m excited for LePeep breakfasts, tea dates in Chicago, and a trip to Boulder.

3. To hold my pet birds. They “talk” to me over Skype. They’re a little spastic (or “special”) but I love them.

4. To worship at St. Luke’s. It’s unlikely that I’ll survive a service without crying. Singing hymns in English and visiting with people I've known for years and who support my work here? Tears are inevitable.

5. About the sun and spending time outdoors (including lying on the hammock in the backyard). My dad and I are planning a biking/kayaking trip (yippee!) and my parents are always game for bike rides and walks after dinner! Let’s go! I’m ready!

6. For skim milk. Well, any pasteurized milk. And safe tap water. And salmon.

7. For the Park Ridge Public Library. I might live there over the summer. They have books! Lots and lots of books. Criticize America all you want, but you can’t deny we have a fantastic commitment to public libraries. There’s nothing better than a morning browsing at the library and then sitting at home surrounded by dozens of enticing books! What to read first...and how many books can I cram into my suitcase for year two...

8. To go to the theatre! Movies! Sports events! Concerts! I love tiny Cieszyn, but at heart I’m a “city culture girl” because I’d attend a theatre/music performance every night of the week if money/time allowed. This summer, if I’m not at the library, I’m probably somewhere soaking up Chicago culture!

9. British “queues” or American “lines.” I try not to judge other cultures, but boy, in my opinion, you can’t beat the American and British respect of “the line.” In Central Europe, there’s a lot of “pushing and shoving” – not my style. I’ll probably visit stores just to experience the joy of standing in a civilized line. Luckily, buying tickets at cultural events and checking out library books always involve waiting patiently in a line! Kill two birds with one stone, right?

10. To experience “re-entry culture shock.” I’m looking forward (although also a little terrified) to analyze my “re-entry” experience. What’s different? What’s unusual to me after living abroad for a year? What did I miss? What didn’t I miss? Can I drive a car after almost a year? Can I speak English 24/7? Will I have to walk to Canada because I’ll get homesick for walking across international borders? We’ll see!

See you in THREE WEEKS!