So I am back from Kuwait, and have had the summer to process all I have learned, all I have experienced, all I have done. Except, I haven't.
How is it, that life gets so busy that unless you consciously plan time to sit down and schedule in a 'time to think' hour into your day, it feels like it never really happens?
I know that since I have been back, I feel somewhat alienated from my current society. I feel like I have changed, grown, and become somewhat different, yet back in my life, nobody stops and points and goes 'omg you are soooo different!!" Yet--I feel different, and am not sure why it's not obvious on the outside.
I have just recently returned to Kuwait, to pick out some suitcases that I have left there. I was looking forward to going back--I miss some aspects of life in the Middle East. I miss the food, the freshness, the abundance of vegetables, the variety and the flavour. I also miss being treated like someone special. In Kuwait, when you walk into a shop or a store, the clerks cannot serve you fast enough. Being a white woman, you are treated special. It's like you are royalty, and I miss that. Here, I walk into a store and nobody bats an eyelid. I am not talking about obsequiousness, or differential treatment ( for there is that too) I am talking about a genuine friendliness and acknowledgement of my presence. I also miss the mindset of being on an adventure. I liked saying " I work in the Middle East". Now, I am just another drone in the regular world.
I also miss the intrigue and mystery presented by the people. Arab men are truly eye -candy, and the women are intriguing and mysterious. I liked having my senses bombarded with different sights, sounds and challenges.I like the 'different'.
So, now what? This is my last year of working, and I am pondering what to do next year, as a retirement trip. I have so many ideas and so many different opportunities--I am excited to consider them all.
Currently my idea is to plan an "around the world trip". Stay tuned for my next adventure.
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