On Homesickness

"How to fight loneliness
Just smile all the time"
-Wilco

One thing that I definitely haven't given enough lip service to is being homesick. When people ask how I'm doing, I always say "having an awesome time" and "everything is amazing", etc. but It's been over three weeks now, almost a month, and I'm definitely feeling a bit homesick thinking about what's happening back home. I rarely get into the subject on how much I miss everything back home, which I do greatly. Maleaha made me a lovely scrapbook of photos that I look in all the time and show to my friends and I stocked my iPod full of music before leaving, so I've got a good soundtrack for my trip.

I could probably write a list of things that I miss and it would be a mile long, but here's a few of the things that stand out:

Maleaha: I miss her more than anything else. I miss the closeness, the walks, the chinese food, the going to church together... you name it and I miss it. Even though this trip is for my own personal development and it's something that I feel I'm being called to do by the powers that be, I know that I'm leaving some people hanging and I'm doing it the most to her. Putting a relationship that's based on closeness and constant interaction into a long-distance mode is perilous - and while I'm not the only one out here pushing a relationship to it's limits, I certainly wouldn't advise it to the average person. We talked a lot about this trip and tried to find the best solution for us and no matter what, I'm going to be totally committed to her and do my part, but no matter what, there's always that feeling that I'm hurting someone else by my actions and that I'm powerless to do a lot of things. Needless to say, Maleaha should go down in the books as one of the most compassionate people ever.

Family and Friends: Last summer was really great and I got a lot of quality time in with my parents. While the landscaping rag (my summer job) was tough this year, I still enjoyed the time I had coming home and having a lovely dinner and relaxing on the couch for the evening with the 'rents. As for my friends, we reconnected quite a bit over the last summer as well and had some great times. By the time I left for Africa, I was sad to have left a really good deal that I was having. I've never been particularly fond of Markham, but it's the people who make it feel like home.

Ottawa: Clearly one of the greatest cities in the history of mankind, I'm starting to really miss it and my friends who live there, especially now that September's rolling in and everyone else is busy moving into their new places and the weather is starting to get a bit colder and soon the leaves will be changing. Ottawa's best seasons, in my opinion, are fall and winter and I'm really going to miss them while it's sweltering here in Ghana. I also miss Parliament, the Market, Old Ottawa South, Sunnyside Ave, Bank St., Patty's Pub and Penan Wok. And Dairy Queen.

Miscellaneous: You never really now what you're going to miss when you go away. A girl I met in Costa Rica on an exchange once told me that she missed Snack Packs (pudding cups) the most. A lot of the kids out here are missing North American cuisine and things that aren't made with rice, beans or fish oil. I admit to missing Kraft Dinner, pasta, homemade hamburgers and - believe it or not - doughnuts and tea. Even the Tim Horton's kind. Doughnuts suck here.

Other things I could think about include hot water, highspeed internet and not being afraid of the mosquitos carrying malaria. So, the moral of the story is: no matter how great Africa is, I'll always miss home.