good luck topping this next year

Perhaps you have already heard the news (especially if you keep up with the much-more-oft-updated Coster3 blog) – the Boy is back! I can’t even tell you how ecstatic that makes me. Part of me scarcely believes he’s actually Stateside again; it’s all very surreal – kind of like when he left for Uganda in the first place.

The reasons for his leaving the Peace Corps are many and varied and have to do with administration and some personal angst, but you can read about it here (at least the first part so far). It’s probably better to get his perspective instead of hearing my extremely biased speculation. All that really matters to me is that he got himself out of a mentally-damaging situation that would have made him miserable for two years. I’m disappointed that the Peace Corps didn’t turn out to be what he thought it would be, but I can’t really articulate how amazingly happy it makes me that he’s close by now.

kit kat, redux

Today, I finally got my boot off! I was prescribed this (much smaller and more manageable) ankle brace, but also told that I probably didn’t really need to use it unless I was doing something that required my ankle to have some extra support. My x-ray films are clean – no more apparent fracture on the film, although you can see some scar tissue. The doctor said that was expected. He also said that it actually takes 4-6 months from the time of injury for the area to fully heal up i.e. full on collagen cross-linking and scar adhesion dissolution. But even before then, with regular exercise, I should see vast improvements in mobility and flexibility. Right now, my biggest issue is really that my ankle is stiff. Now that I have the go ahead though, I’ll have to start working out so my right leg can stop being so absurdly puny. I can also start wearing right-footed shoes again.

Not much else is going on here. I was mostly awaiting this day and killing some time until it came. I’ve been talking to the Boy regularly, which is really such a nice luxury. Training is going rather too slowly for his liking. There seems to be a lot of frustration and inefficiency with how the training system is set up. But knowing the Boy, I’m sure that he’ll revolutionize it or something equally as dramatic before he leaves. He’s gotten to teach a bit already, to test the waters while supervised, and it sounds like he’s had very rewarding experiences. I still find it amazing that so many other countries (I would venture to say most), including Uganda, still teach by rote instead of by critical thinking. So the cultural barrier is the hardest one to overcome, since we expect our students in the states to participate and speak up in class. This kind of behavior isn’t usually encouraged in many other countries, so some of the children the Boy was working with were intimidated by the idea of having to respond in class. Sounds like he’s enthusiastic about tackling this challenge though.

stunned

I just spent over an hour talking to the Boy on Skype! And I’m still kind of in shock. I figured that I would just test the number that tBM gave me, but I really wasn’t expecting it to work. And I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear his voice. Which, of course, promptly made me tear up and cry while we were chatting. I managed to spend just about all of my newly purchased Skype credit, but it was most definitely well worth it.

I’m happy and a bit confused and a bit of several other things. I’m also extremely optimistic and relieved and so very, very hopeful.

We talked until the connection got really spotty and severed again and he went to bed. He’s been extremely busy, as expected. And he’s actually staying with a family that gets some electricity in the evenings. There are also internet cafes in a few places, although they might not be worth it since apparently it takes over 8-10 minutes to load Gmail. We talked about the bugs (of which there are many, and none of them are nice), some of the domestic politics (polygamy, and the host mothers all think that the appearance of the PCVs represent how well they are being taken care of – some have gone so far as to keep track of what the PCV has worn already, and not letting them leave the house if they have on a duplicate outfit), training (the Boy has to learn two languages, not one), and several other things. He sounds like he’s doing well and having a good time; he went out for beers with some of the other PCVs the other night.

It was mentioned that packages (anything in boxes) are expensive for them to pick up what with customs and whatnot, so they might not really be possible after the training period is over. Also, mail is kind of difficult to get too, since they aren’t in Kampala proper, and someone has to run over there to pick up all the letters. After training, it might get even worse.

But we have phone. And that’s more than I could have hoped for.

small things

Today I am grateful for

• my first dusting of snow this season
• a warm bed (and a warm Boy) in cold weather
• opera with good, good friends.

I’m taking a page out of the Real Simple issue this month, mostly because I really like the symbolism behind this idea. Basically, they suggest writing down (or just thinking up) a few things that you are grateful for every day. To keep things in perspective. I think that, even if it sounds all hokey and touchy-feeley (feely?), it’ll keep my mind where it needs to be during this Year of Great Uncertainty. Besides, isn’t it always a good thing to reflect on your life and appreciate everything in it that’s good?

So the lighter side first. LotR and I went to the opera tonight! We saw the show Lulu, which is rather contemporary; the completed three-act opera was first performed in 1979, although a two-act version was performed before then (first in Zurich in 1937, according to Wikipedia – I can’t find my program). This was the raciest, most overtly suggestive opera I have ever seen (although admittedly, I’ve only seen three or so operas in my life). Lots of sex and adultery (which means more sex) and death and still more sex. It was awkward and funny and relatively fast-paced. Very entertaining all in all, although I don’t really see how anyone would understand the final scene without the synopsis in the program (Jack the Ripper makes [what I think is] a random appearance). I’m glad that LotR (I’ll figure out a better pseudonym for her at some point) asked me to go; we had a lovely evening together.

Tomorrow, the Boy and I will most likely spend the whole day cooking. I’m planning to make a large batch of scones, and, if I become ambitious, I’ll take pictures and post the process and recipe up here. LotR is also coming over for dinner again (I say again because she and I and the Boy have been doing a weekly Thursday dinner thing) because we have a whole chicken that needs to be eaten sitting in our fridge. It’ll give the Boy a chance to bone up on his poultry skills again. I’ll probably make some stuffing and roasted broccoli to go with.

As for the more serious matters alluded to earlier… The Boy and I are probably going to be moving out of Chicago in December. The “probably” contributed by me because the Boy is most definitely moving out. He got some word from the Peace Corps, and it looks like he will be leaving much sooner than expected. Initially, we had all though that he would be departing in June, but he has an opportunity to start his program in February, so he’s taking that chance. Which is really great, actually, timing-wise, for him. Because then when he comes back (after two years and three months), it’ll be towards the beginning of an application cycle for whatever grad schools he might be interested in.

I’m trying not to think about it too much (two years and three months) because it’ll probably make me needlessly sad. Don’t get me wrong – I think it’s amazing and fabulous that the Boy is doing this. And I’m incredibly envious because I would love to do something like this too (and I’d like to think that I have the same kind of mettle). But… I am admittedly apprehensive (two years and three months), though I’m not thinking about it (coughtwo years and three monthscough).

Who knows how it’ll play out, right? And that’s all I have to say on that for now.

In other news, this totally wrecks my original traveling-through-Asia plans. I’d like to think that I am one of those amazing people who can be dropped off in a country and travel by themselves randomly and without a plan for months and months, but realistically, I’m not. And the idea of wandering around by myself for three or four months in a foreign country sounds terrifying (but exciting), lonely (but interesting), and dangerous (…that one sounds about right). So I don’t know what I’m going to do.

Any suggestions? (About anything? I’m not picky.)