Homesickness

I have been here for about seven months and have about 19 more months to go and have officially felt my first pangs of homesickness. The fact that it took seven months is probably pretty good.

Officially, my record of being away from home is 8 months, from December to August, two years in a row. By "home" I mean Miami.

According to the Peace Corps emotional chart they give us, there is a "sixth month crisis." 1) I've been here longer than six months and 2) this is FAR from crisis! (The next major dip on the chart is at the one year mark.)

What sparked this? Last week I went and visited another volunteer, Xavier, at his site. Whenever I spend significant time around other Americans I sort of get this way because we speak in comfortable English, using terms like "chill" and "brosky" and reminisce about things from back home. I've also been listening to country music which could make someone in America homesick for America. Being around a male volunteer is even more homesickness-inducing than a female volunteer because it causes me to remember how in Dallas/Miami I had lots of guy friends and that was normal. I also thoroughly enjoy hanging out with guy volunteers in public because the number of youth or men who yell at me drops to almost nothing. Only the most bold will say something when I'm walking with Xavier or any other American guy.

What exactly do I miss?
It wouldn't be what you would think, necessarily.
People? Not really. I could count the number of people I truly miss on one hand...maybe half a hand.
"Basic" amenities? Not much. I don't miss having a refrigerator.
Unpredictable running water can be annoying but not something to write home about.
A/C? I missed heat during winter but it's hot now and I have no problem with no A/C.
Washer/Dryer? whatever.

I miss:
The Bar Scene: The freedom to go to a bar and play some pool and hang with friends and not be judged for it. This includes dancing to bad pop music on a crowded dance floor.
Mixed gender company
Being able to wear tank tops and shorts.
Being able to go running in the middle of the day (or whenever I want)
Being able to go to a cafe without being self conscience (not the woman's realm here.)
I admit that I do miss cereal and skim milk. If I get a fridge I can make this happen.

Snap out of it
When I get a little down on my "situation." I just try to remind myself of the reasons that I was attracted to Peace Corps and why I'm here: I knew there would be "sacrifices." I don't actually WANT my normal life back-- I'm on an adventure! InchAllah, I will have about 75 more years to dance to bad pop music in bars beginning around Christmas season 2012. I'm reminded of how especially lucky I am to be here every time I'm on the trek from Errachidia to my town in the desert and I pass nomads herding hundreds of camels and sand blowing around from every direction. And to be honest, I would probably feel the same way in small-town America since the big city brings more of the freedoms that I miss.

Remedies:
- Keeping my socializing with other volunteers to a minimum
- Remind myself that I'm not a wimp. period.