What is a happenin??

It is so hard to believe that it has been over a year since I was in Tanzania.  It still makes a little part of my heart ache thinking about all of my friends and students still there.  Thankfully, the world is becoming smaller and smaller every year and I have been able to keep up with some of those loved ones!  It seems like yesterday that I was fighting snakes, sweeping dirt, bucket bathing, and drinking Castle Lager with Kathryn, but so much has changed.  When I got back to the states in December, I'm pretty sure I tried to eat America.  Amazingly enough, this did not fair well.  I ended up in the Emergency Room on Christmas Day getting an emergency appendectomy.  It just so happens that my appendix did not like switching from beans and ugali to cheese covered, deep fried, greasy goodness.  After that little stint, I rested in bed for a day and then got on a plane to meet up with my Peace Corps peeps in Chicago.  The entire process of moving back to the states is extremely overwhelming, so it was incredible to hang out with about 20 RPCVs and not worry about sensoring out our weirdness.  After our PC New Years Eve, I headed back to good ol' Oklahoma and moved in with my sister in Stillwater, Ok.  I got a job and tried to settle back into normal life.  Some days were harder than ever.  It was a constant battle between being so incredibly happy being back and constantly overwhelmed and overstimulated.  I hit rock bottom one day in Walmart with my sister.  I was pushing my stupid, wobbly cart down the frozen food section and there were just too many people, options, noise...too much of everything.  I just broke down and started crying.  I left my cart and walked out.  Not saying that every day was that bad.  It is incredible being back around my friends and family.  It just took some getting used to.  I am pretty well adjusted now and back in school at OU College of Medicine.  I still miss Tanzania every day.  Peace Corps gave me so much and changed me for the better. It is so hard to verbalize what I took from my experience. But now, I am moving on my dreams.  I do not regret not extending or finding a job in Tanzania.  I think that by studying medicine, I will be able to affect even greater change in the future.  I already have plans to get back to East Africa.  I am coordinating a trip for a group of medical students to travel to Uganda.  There, I will have the honor of working with Sister Rosemary for a short amount of time.  This incredible woman has made it her life's work to educate girls affected by the war in northern Uganda.


Here is a short clip explaining some of her work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j3kLa4k9l0

If you want to support her work, BUY HER BOOK!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Hope-Joseph-apart-together/dp/193760294X/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1384887460&sr=8-1

She also has a documentary coming out!
http://www.sewinghope.com/

"Physicians are the natural attorneys of the poor" -Rudolf Virchow