Resurfacing

Wow, I just realized that I haven't made a post in for-EV-er! ...Kinda went to Haiti. I then came back and pretty much hit the ground running, while still digesting the Haiti trip on the side.

Haiti was good. Really good. There were children, it was warm, I slept well, I ate well. Since I've been back, well, there are still children, but it's been cold, my sleep is off, and I have to cook for myself. Still, it has been really good to be home. It is interesting how we create new and different experiences for ourselves, only to crave what is familiar; what is 'home', in all senses of the word. Boy does a trip to a foreign country (that's not a resort) remind you of the things and people you appreciate most at home! And every little thing, too! I mean, there's the obvious stuff I missed, like having consistent and reliable internet access. But then there were things I didn't realize where such a salient part of my life. Like eating yogurt. At home I have yogurt almost daily, and halfway through my trip, we were taken to the grocery store, and there it was, and I was like, "yogurt!" because I realized I hadn't eaten it in a week!

I also realized how much I take my freedom for granted. If I am in the mood for a walk or bike ride, I just get my shoes on and go. Unless it's after dark, I don't generally think twice about it (I also don't purposefully walk or bike in sketchy areas of Edmonton). In Haiti, it's all sketchy. Especially because I was the minority. Therefore, we were not allowed to walk anywhere by ourselves, even if it was daylight. Understandable. But quite frustrating at times to not be able to just 'get away' from everything. The first Saturday I was home was actually really warm and sunny, so I got on my bike and meandered through the River Valley. It was SO nice.

My sleep patterns are definitely something I appreciated more in Haiti than here. The sun sets at around 6:15pm in Haiti. By 7pm it is completely dark. And DARK cuz there were no streetlights where we were. Our whole team was typically in bed between 8 and 8:30, and asleep by 9pm. I was no exception. And we were all up by 5:30, give or take. It was never a problem for me to rise at that hour (the sun was well up by then). I was never exhausted. Occasionally I would get up in the night to use the bathroom and it would take a little while for me to fall back asleep, and closer to the end of our trip, I noticed my body shifting to a slightly later and later sleep time, but overall, I slept excellently. Eight to nine hours every night. Several factors MAY have helped this. 1. It's dark and there's nothing else to do; might as well read a little and then go to sleep. 2. I wore ear plugs (which didn't eliminate the rooster and dog and gecko noises, but helped). 3. I took a melatonin before bed most nights to maintain the new rhythm. Still, it just seemed really easy to go to bed and to get up.

Here, it's all I can do to drag myself out of bed at 7am, and I'm not even in bed until 11pm. Generally not asleep till closer to midnight. Which isn't really all that different from before I went to Haiti, but now I don't like it so much. Yet, I don't exactly want to be in bed at 8:30 here, either. Life is still happening at 8:30, and not just because it's summer and therefore light out until 11pm now. I dunno. The expectations of my evening routine in a society that doesn't start to quiet down 'till at least 9pm, and the extended daylight (which I love) has been the only cultural readjustment I've had to deal with it, so I guess it could be worse. Mind you, it has been something I've pondered over off and on since my return. Do I like the way I prioritize my evenings? What do I want more of for myself with my free time and my sleep time? Can I balance my desire to slow down a bit earlier with the desire to be social and continue my extracurricular activities, which I love just as much? ...I'll let you know what I find out.

In the meantime, I should go take a melatonin.