A Year in the Life

I have been packing up my place this week and reflecting on my past year- my job, people I've met and where I've lived.  As I mentioned in my last post, it is really amazing how you can get involved with people and a place in just a year's time.  I wanted to post a few pictures about the people in my life the past year and the role they've played...

First, my coworkers- especially the 3 pictured below- Shenise, Lauren and Gayle.   We worked side by side every day in a sometimes chaotic and stressful environment and got along well the whole time.  We often had good laughs in the midst of it all!  We went out for dinner our last day of work together, and I am so glad they were the ones I spent my time with everyday.  

Then, a new friend from Wilmington, Pearl, who I will dearly miss being only a few blocks away from.  It has been fun sharing a year of transition for both us.  Here we are visiting Terrain in Glen Mills and caching up on our lives:

One of my favorite things about living in Wilmington has been the church I've been involved with, Westminister Presbyterian (www.wpc.org), walking distance from my home.  I loved going to the same church as Teresa, getting involved with a Bible study there and attending their newer Living Mosaics service.  Here is (most of ) my Bible study group on our last night:

Behind them is the garden Westminister has for the community, one of the many great things about the church.  I also took a picture of this painting of the church, the memorial garden and their signature cross from the sanctuary:

One thing I will miss about Wilmington are all the great parks and walks in the area.  In the midst of packing and saying goodbyes this week, I've been trying to visit all my favorite spots.  Here is a place about a mile or so from my house that has been one of my favorite destinations:

As I get ready to move to Phoenixville tomorrow, I am saying goodbye to all the good things here.  When I drove away from work for the last time on Friday I was trying to pinpoint how I was feeling- "bittersweet" didn't seem to quite fit (but was the perfect word when I left Uganda), and any other words don't seem to sum it up.  So for now I am going with "mixed emotions"- excited, relieved, sad and hopeful all at the same time.  

Times of Transition

I have not been a very faithful blogger the past months.  Partly, I have found it harder to blog the past year than while I was still in Uganda.  In Uganda I was already very entrenched in my life and experiences there, having many pictures and stories to tell of my time there.  Since arriving back in the States I've been trying to get my head around being back, what is worth writing about, how I can share this strange transition.  The changes of the past year have made it harder to put down what I am feeling, since I am not always sure what that is.  

Tomorrow will be one year since I have arrived back in the States.  I've been thinking the past few days about my layover in England last year, and arriving back unsure of what exactly was next.  I was fortunate to get a job quickly and be able to find a place, move in, settle, start a life here.  Now, I am looking ahead to another time of transition- I'll be leaving my job in 2 weeks and starting a new job in July.  For many reasons, I think this is absolutely the right move, and I am very excited about it!  Instead of moving from a different country, I will be moving to a different State (Delaware to Pennsylvania), and some of the work will be similar to what I am doing now.  So, it won't be the same level of transition as last year but it still involves leaving a job, packing, moving and starting over again with work, church, and routines.  

Some things I have a better handle on after this past year in the States- budgeting, how many commitments to have outside of work, various people's reactions to me living in Uganda, realistic ways to stay in touch.  But I am nervous about learning a whole new job and finding a place to live, knowing the time and energy that will take- as I said, I am excited but nervousness is a part of that!  I've been thinking a lot about the sheer number of people you can meet in a year, and getting involved in their lives- I've been trying to guess between my coworkers, clients, church, neighborhood, maybe I've met 100-200 new people this year?  I am sad to be leaving so many of those relationships behind, and appreciate how I've been enriched because of them.  

So, as I look ahead to ending my job, having about a month off and starting work again it feels a lot like last year.  But so much has happened since then, I think the value and meaning of the past 12 months will only become clearer with time.  My original plan with this blog was to have it represent my final year in Uganda and first year in the States, and despite another upcoming change I am going to stick with that. I will probably do a few more posts but will close out my writing sometime in July.  I certainly won't have some clear conclusion or ending, I know the process will be ongoing.

And since I don't want to do a post without pictures, here are some pictures of my wonderful visit with Abby and family over Memorial Day weekend.  We talked about many of the things I've written, and I am grateful for a friend who has a different and valuable perspective on this transition!  Enjoy the pictures and I'll be back a few more times... 

At the park with the Bartels

Coffee break with Abby

Beautiful Pittsburgh (who knew?!)