Adjusting to Readjusting

 

 

It's hard to believe I've been back in Pittsburgh for a little over 2 weeks now.

It felt like I was gone for years. Not in a bad kind of way either.
Just a few days in Florence and I felt so comfortable as if I had never left.
 

The walls burst forth with beauty.

 

I'm having a bit of a struggle adjusting back to life in the U.S.

The pace is different, the prices are different, and strange sensory things like the smell.
Another thing, my mobility is different.
 

 

It's amazing what a difference being able to afford a monthly bus pass makes. That alone makes day to day activities easier in Florence. I don't mind walking one bit, but Florence proper is flatter than my stomping grounds in Pittsburgh. And even with the awkward sidewalks it was easier

to just walk places.
 

 

For instance, one evening we were invited to our friend M and S's house for dinner. They happen to live out in the country so D was going to meet us and give us a ride. We agreed to meet closer to where she would be at the appointed time since there was supposed to be a bus that went right by the plaza. Well, when we went to catch the bus we realized this particular bus only runs in the morning. Yay for commuters, but boo for us. So, we started walking.. and walking.. and walking.

 

According to Google Maps we walked 27 miles(4.5km), but it was relatively flat and we managed to arrive at the meeting place at the time we had set and no worse for ware (okay so maybe a bit more tired than before but no complaints).
 

Pas possible in Pittsburgh! If the hills didn't kill us the humidity would have.

What is up there?

I know it will be different when I move there because I will have to work.

It is such a treat saving up and then being able to not work while I serve.

But I think that if I can do something I enjoy I wont mind.

 

 

Teaching has always been on the list of things I enjoy.

However, I enjoy the type of teaching that I do for free.

However, getting paid to teach English will not diminish the joy that comes when you hear someone form their own sentence, it is grammatically correct and they understand what they have said. What a joy that is for me.

 

Readjusting to Home....

So how do you readjust yourself to being "home" after you have been away for a bit over a month? Here is an incredibly comprehensive guide (okay not exactly comprehensive but go with it):

==> Eat your favorite local foods. Foods in season and lots of fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruits and veggies also offset the jet lag.

sautéed tofu with fresh basil, garlic and tomato

==> Do things for others. Volunteer work is always a capital idea when you are feeling not quite yourself. Focusing on others quite naturally gets your mind off your own discontent. And after all "bear in mind the words of the Lord Jesus, when he himself said, ‘There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving."

==> Re-establish a routine as quickly as possible. Take a little extra time to do the things you love to do.

Doesn't everyone's routine involve Chipotle and enlightening reading?

==> Get high on endorphins. Endorphins are such a lovely boost!

  
==> Be the best version of yourself. This could also be called "fake it til you make it". I don't particularly like the phrase "fake", but when you pretend to be happy and positive it tends to help you feel that way. Misery loves company, but so does positivity. Why be a gloomy guss about what you left in the place you were traveling to when you very likely have reasons to be happy right at home.

==> Importantly, be patient as you adjust to readjusting.

 

==> Most importantly, PRAY! Through prayer we can get peace from the one source that gives it freely.