It was one week ago that I took off from Brazzaville on a 31-hour return trip to the United States. Since last Friday evening I have been back in North Carolina, surrounded by countless comforts and luxuries that I hadn't known or seen for more than four months. Hot water, refrigerators, ovens, air conditioning and central heating, paned windows, and more. I'm also returned to the land of droves of cars and endless traffic. There's also the fast food, and with that I'm shocked to see how many obese people I was able to see during the midday rush at McDonald's. I can't help but admit these are my first impressions after having left the country for only a few months.
We certainly live the 'good life' here in the US. I'm privileged to enjoy it myself. In Brazzaville I met a lot of friends who did all they could to make the most of the life they had and the conditions in which they found themselves. I'm older now and hopefully wiser than I was four years ago when I first traveled to Senegal. I realize now the slight discomfort I feel isn't a wholesale judgment of the society and the culture in which I was raised. Things here are just... different. Time is different, money is different. Relationships and careers are different.
My four months in the Congo has helped me realize I have a gift for seeing these differences and for adapting my behavior and actions. Whether I'm in Brazzaville of Pinehurst, it has also reinforced the importance of making the most of one's time and energy. Even the 'good life' can be misused and lost, if we so wish.
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