Reflection Time

The beginning of the year is an easy and tempting opportunity for self-reflection. When you’re with friends and family for the holidays, ringing in the New Year, or just trying to remember to write the correct date, certain questions seem to come naturally. Where was I this time last year? At that time, where did I see myself now? And of course the big one: where will I be this time next year?

It’s hard to believe it was a year ago that my family came to visit Zambia. Looking back over that time it’s clear that sharing it with them changed some of my own perceptions of living here. Instead of it being something totally separate and foreign from my life in the US, I began to feel like I could merge the two parts. Now, when sharing stories, my family could recognize names and places from their own experience. More than that, Zambia, down to all the mundane details of living here, was now something meaningful and real for them which could connect us across the long distance.

(Victoria Falls 2012)

After the big, exciting holiday last year and my recent visit to the US in August, I was approaching this holiday season resigned to the idea of spending it away from my family. The prospect wasn't very appealing (Lusaka empties out during the holidays) so I decided to approach my bosses anyway just to see what would happen. Both have plenty of experience living abroad and away from their families, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when they were open to the idea. I couldn't have been happier about it.

Having already set the expectation for my absence, my mom and I decided to take advantage of the situation and make it a surprise for the rest of my family. I haven’t had many opportunities in life to pull such an elaborate trick on them so we really went all out with it.  Watching the shock and confusion register on their faces, we were both pretty pleased with the success of our deception.   

Being home for the holidays was even nicer than I’d expected. I was able to catch up with old friends, some I hadn't seen in years, and spend plenty of time with my family. I also had the chance to spend some time with Emily in Boston, which was really a great experience. In the same way as having my family visit Zambia, I felt very lucky to be able to share parts of our pre-Zambia lives with each other. We were even treated to a snowstorm and, let me tell you, after 3 years of no snow you really get nostalgic for it. Thinking last year about what this holiday season would bring I know I couldn't have imagined a better two weeks.

       

 (Gingerbread house construction, serious business)

The remaining question floating out there still can’t be answered neatly. This is the time where I start considering what my options are and where they could take me. As in the past, the process can be overwhelming, but there’s a flip side to that which excites me. While it’s still half a year away, I’m looking forward to where August 2014 and the end of my current contract will lead me.