Hello Monday

     Happy Monday

Today I'm joining Holly and Sarah, and a few other bloggers, for today's Hello Monday link-up, where we say Hello to Monday with a look at what's going on in our lives at the moment.  

 So what's on my mind?

A lot. But 'tis the norm with me, I suppose.

Anywho, on with the post...

 I've been saying Hello to all sorts of things in America. Or rather, I guess technically, I've been saying “Nice to see you again.”  Anywho…

Back in November 2009, after having lived in Senegal for a few months, I wrote a list of random things I said that were so "foreign" to my American mind, which you can read HERE. And now here I am, having been back in my passport country, and I'm saying Hello to all the things I love most about this place I call home. Things like...

~ one ~

Convenience - I'm a big fan of a drive-thru/curbside pick-up at restaurants after a long day. Also, there's all the pre-shredded/chopped version of things for sale at the store? Do I always get them? No, because I can't always afford them. But I am a big fan of saying Hello to them at times. Convenience is indeed nice.

~ two ~

Good medical care. I know what it's like to have a serious injury while living in a foreign country and to not have it properly treated. While the orthopedic doc who saw it was amazing and did a great job, even he, himself, said, "I wish you could have been in America when this happened so you could have possibly had surgery done. Then it would have healed better." But alas, it happened right at the height of the pandemic and the airport in Senegal was shut down and even if it would have been open, with two broken feet (one with nerve damage) that were badly swelling when I'd move, flying for that distance would not have been a wise choice anyway. Not to mention the risk it would have been to fly during that time and potentially bring the germs associated with that pandemic back to my family Although, let's be honest. There were more cases here in America than there were in Senegal. But I digress.

All that to say, the difference between that time and then me breaking my wrist/arm in 2 places in March, and having a subsequent surgery on it and going through the doctor visits/recovery after was like night and day. And things are so much easier here. English is spoken, so I didn’t have to beg a friend to go with me and help me translate the medical terms I don't know. So yes, it's not just the fact that I can easily go to doctors/dentists/eye doctors again... It's just that I appreciate being able to say Hello to the feeling of gratitude for how good we, as Americans, have it. Plus, I have incredible insurance now. So there's that too. :)

~ three ~ 

I've also said Hello to the good and bad of teaching Special Education in a public school in America again. I didn’t always have a big team of people I was working with in Dakar. Some years I did. But for a while, it was just me. So that meant I was not just the teacher. But I also researched how to help my students in areas that normally would’ve been served by SLPs, PTs, OTs, etc. Not to mention, for a couple years I was even the only SPED Teacher for K-12 & beyond. So having the guarantee of bring able to say Hello a team is (and has been) definitely nice.

And the resources available… Oh my word, that has been such a blessing too. Hello textbooks and teaching materials I didn’t have to create from scratch. My first year of teaching SPED in Dakar, I literally had to create everything from scratch. It was so hard. But I did it. Thankfully, I would get books for the majority of my subjects every subsequent year. But still…

But it’s not just books... It’s being close enough to Walmart or Target or even a Dollar Store when I need to pick up something for a project or an upcoming lesson. Saying Hello to that again has been such a blessing - one I definitely don’t take for granted.

~ four ~

Of course, everything’s not all sunshine and rainbows and perfect little unicorns. I’ve had to say Hello again to some of the parts of education (especially in teaching SPED) that I’m not the biggest fan of. Paperwork is a necessary evil in this field. And while I definitely had a ton of it in Dakar, it wasn't nearly as much as it is being back in a public school system in the US. Y'all... Sometimes, I feel like I spend more time in a week on paperwork/documentation/planning than I do actually teaching. And I know that's technically not true. But it just feels so overwhelming at times. And past that, there are some other things I've had to say Hello to again that absolutely 100% frustrate me. And if you want to have a discussion with me about this one, let me know and I’ll be happy to chat. But I see no benefit to airing those thoughts here on the blog. Just sayin' :)

~ five ~

Anywho, back to the less serious ones…

Ice that's safe to drink and comes with free refills? Yes, please! I will always say Hello to that! One of my local restaurants knows me by name now because I'm the girl that buys a cup of ice every couple days on my way home from work. Usually, I’ll buy a cup of water to drink that night and then a cup of ice for the next day. Because their crushed ice is the best! And yes, I'm now saving up my money to buy my own countertop ice maker :)

~ six ~ 

Pumping my own gas again... If I'm being honest, this is something I do not enjoy having to say Hello to again. I've never enjoyed it. But after living in Senegal for so many years, where the gas station attendants pumped your gas for you, to have to come back and have to do it myself... Boo. So not fun. And yes, I do recognize this 100% is a first world problem ;)

~ seven ~

Family. It's been so nice to say Hello to living near family again. It's such a blessing to be able to go up for a weekend visit or have them come down for a beach trip and stay with us or to pop in for birthday parties and school musicals or to go for a family reunion or a big family Christmas get together and all of that. After living so far away for so many years and missing so many family events, I know I will never ever take the gift of family time for granted. What a blessing it is to be so close to my people again! I love it!

~ eight ~

I've had to say Hello to NOT having the community that I had in Dakar. That's probably the thing I miss most about living life here in America again. I miss the deep friendships I had. I miss community living. I miss hanging out with friends and doing life together. It was such a blessing. And to come back to America to a school where I knew no one to a city I hadn't lived in since I was a little girl... It's been hard. I have plenty of people at work I get along with. But I do so miss having those friendships. I miss regular dinner invites. I miss sitting at home and chatting for hours. I miss sitting together at ball games and chatting while watching our students play. I miss community potlucks and game nights and movies on the roof. I miss going to church with people I knew well and going to lunch or on a grocery store run together after. I just miss community. That has been so very hard.

~ nine ~

On a less serious note, want to know something I enjoy saying Hello to again? I love having access to Walmart and Target and bookstores with rows & rows of English books and TJ Maxx and even having a Dollar General on every corner. Oh, and Amazon and free 2 day shipping too. However, let's be honest. I don't say Hello to it as often as I'd like because my wallet says a big ol' NO to that. But still... It is nice to have the option when I do need/want it. And the best part? I don't have to do the math in my head needed to convert CFA to USD and vice versa. So my tired brain is happy about that too. Haha :)

~ ten ~

I saved the best for last. I've enjoyed getting to say Hello to living with my mom again. When I made the decision to leave Senegal, I texted my mom and asked her if she'd be willing to move in with me. When I took the job in Mobile and I called her to share the news, I asked if she'd be willing to move down here with me. She didn't hesitate. My mom sold her house and her truck and packed up all her stuff and came down with me. Do we butt heads at time? Yes, of course. We're both very stubborn/strong willed individuals who have lived by ourselves for many years. BUT at the same time... I would not trade this time with my mom for anything in the world. It's been such a blessing to move her in with me and to be around to help her out when she needs it. And when the roles reversed and I needed her help after my freak injury and subsequent surgery this past Spring, she helped me too. We make a good team - my mom and me. And it's such an honor and privilege and gift to have this time with her.

And that’s about it for my scattered brain today. 

What about you?

 What’s on your mind today?