The End is just the Beginning

I'm writing this post from my room which overlooks beautiful Niles, Illinois. It's 4:45 and I'm listening to the Fray and typing in my pajamas--but hey, that's the beauty of being home and not having a job.

First of all, my apologies to everyone for not posting during the past three weeks. The last two weeks in South Africa were incredibly jam packed. I spent way too much time in the computer lab finishing up the twenty-some page paper I had to write and the rest of the time went to spending time with friends from the hostel. There was a certain urgency to my last two weeks: I knew my days were limited and I wanted to make the most of every minute I had. So, blogging took a back seat. Sorry.

But, let me tell you, we had some great times during the last two weeks in South Africa. I think Sarah and I hosted a record number of group dinners for all sorts of people during the last two weeks. One night we made Chicago-style pizza for some of our South African and Norwegian friends. The funny part was that we had to cook the pizza in a frying pan because we didn't have any pie-plates or cake pans or casserole dishes. And it worked!!! Sometimes I think I like having limited resources because if brings about all sorts of creative thinking.

Another night we had a second pancake party. The pancakes were amazing, but the party was phenomenal because Marco, the man crazy enough to jump in the pool with me, brought over his extensive CD collection and we danced in the F unit kitchen for about four hours after we had finished devouring the pancakes. I will not forget this night any time soon. As we were laying in bed that night Sarah summed it up when she said, "Karen, that had to be one of the five most fun nights of my life." I would agree. Who would have thought you could have such a great time with medical students? I only wish I had taken pictures so you all could enjoy all of the silly goodness.

On a more serious note, Sarah and I met up with Frank Kronenberg one Saturday afternoon before we left and chatted about occupational therapy and South Africa and life. I heard Frank speak during my first year of OT school and ever since then I have followed his work. Frank is one of the founders of Occupational Therapists without Boarders and an all around wonderful person. It was so good to chat with Frank right before we left for home; he helped us process our experience and challenged us to share the knowledge and insights we had gained during our time in South Africa. I couldn't think of a better way to end fieldwork.

Sarah and I left Cape Town on September 4 and had an 11 hour flight to Frankfurt. Jake, one of my good buddies from the Crave, (my church family in St. Louis) graciously put Sarah and I up for the night and fed us amazingly wonderful crusty German bread with mustard that came out of a container akin to a toothpaste tube. Jake, you are great. I only hope one day I can share my mustard with you.

I arrived in sunny Chicago on Wednesday morning. It was hot and humid; it was the kind of summer day that requires you use about three times the normal effort to breathe because of the humidity. Things were okay until my dad started talking about how important it will be for me to find a job with good health insurance on car ride home from the airport. It was just too much too soon. I remember during my first couple of days in South Africa I was overwhelmed by how strange everything seemed. During my first few days home I was overwhelmed by how normal everything was.

The first thing I did when I walked into my parents house was finish a peach pie in the fridge and have a beer. I can't say that I was really hungry, but I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself and eating the pie seemed like the right thing to do. I probably wouldn't have chosen to have a beer with the pie, but there wasn't really anything else to drink in the fridge. Anyway, the meal was soothing and familiar and made me feel ready to tackle the next chapter of life.

So what's the next chapter?

Well, that's a good question. I start a second fieldwork on October 1 at a suburban-Chicago pediatric clinic. This clinical will be three months long, just like my stint in South Africa; I will finish right before Christmas.

Right now I'm enjoying not having to go to work every day, but I've been spending quite a bit of time trying to put the pieces of my new life together. I need to start applying for jobs. I need to find a place to live. I need to find a church to attend. And, I really want to find an ultimate Frisbee team to join. Even though I'm finally home, I feel like I am starting from square one. I haven't lived in Chicago for the past five years. In many ways Chicago doesn't feel like home, and I don't really have any friends here anymore. But, that's okay. Doing fieldwork in South Africa was a good confidence-builder for me. I keep thinking to myself, "Hey, if I can make it as an OT in Africa, I can probably make it just about anywhere." (For all you grammer buffs, am I supposed to use quotes to demarcate thoughts I have with myself? I've always wondered about the proper grammatical structure of these sentiments.)

So, here ends the travel blog. But, I think I'm going to keep blogging, at least for the next couple of weeks. I think I may have a few more thoughts. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for reading and thanks for all of your comments.

And, as always, if you feel inspired, send me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

-k