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Home for the summer!  Who would have thought that something as simple as being home in your own country would have such a therapeutic affect on the mind, body & soul.  People often ask me what I miss the most while being in Africa.  I tell people that living in Africa isn’t as difficult as one might think, but living on a ship in Africa is hard. 

With my parents at their house

If you are not used to it, community living can be very tiring.  There’s always activities going on, trips to the market, trips to the beach, trips up country, games to play, movies to watch, food to eat, chores to be done.  Our ship may be a big white ship in Africa, but add over 400 crew to that & the size shrinks drastically!  Privacy is a luxury. 

My friend Sara & baby Grace

I miss being spontaneous.  I don’t have to plan days in advance on when I’m going to do my laundry to make sure I have a laundry slot or go out to dinner to make sure I have enough money.  I can’t get in my car & drive to the grocery store if I forgot to get something, I have to wait until the ship shop is open & hopefully they have it, or find a group on the weekends to go to the market or a local store, or if nothing else works, call home & have my mom mail it to me which would take 2 or more weeks to reach me. 

I miss eating when & what I want.  The dining room is only open at certain times each day & if you are not hungry at those times… tough.  I’m just not hungry at 4:45pm.  If you don’t like whats being served, there’s always a grilled cheese sandwich.  When can cook for ourselves in the crew galley (aka: kitchen) but sometimes its more work than it needs to be!

I miss fast internet.  Being able to stream videos & music.  How it was explained to me was that picture the internet that comes into your house, now cut the speed in half & then divide it up amongst 400 computers & devices.  That’s what we have for internet.  Not that we are complaining (too loudly, all the time) it’s a lot better now then what it was a couple years ago. 

My parent's dog, Tori

I miss my pony, kitty & any other 4 legged critter.  The whole no pet policy on the ship is kind of a bummer.  Its nice to cuddle with & read a book or go for a ride.  Animals are my therapy & I truly miss that aspect in my life.  Sometimes I’ll get lucky & find a barn on the beach to ride at or a hotel with a pool has some friendly kittens to play with.

Steely!

I miss exercise.  Ok I know what you’re thinking, really Jen, exercise?  Yes, really.  I miss dancing & riding & my barn workout twice a week.  I get a lot of stair climbing & I go walk on the dock for an hour, but it’s not the same.  Mercy Hips are real!

A beautiful Colorado sunset

There’s so much that I miss, but when I compare them to what I would miss if I wasn’t here, that list is about even.  Its hard to describe everything I would miss if I wasn’t on the ship in Africa. 

So for now, a couple months break in the States is all I need to recharge.  I’ll try to do as much as possible, see as much as possible to hold me over for another year.

Go Rockies!!!

While home this summer, I spent a lot of time in Iowa with my parents.  I think they were a little disappointed that for the first 2 weeks all I did was sleep!  What can I say, I was really tired!  I then drove to Colorado to visit family & friends, see my horse & my boys (go Rockies!) I spent time up in the mountains & dodged forest fires.  Just like old times.  I realized that I’m not a Colorado tourist & living out of a suitcase is hard!

I kidnapped my cousin to go on a road trip to South Dakota & the Badlands area.  We were surrounded by buffalo, learned about Crazy Horse & spelunked in Wind Cave.  Got back to Iowa for the 4^th of July parade & fireworks.  Spent the rest of the time at home getting ready for another year overseas.

Up in the mountains with friends

Up close & personal with buffalo

Crazy Horse

Eri & me in the Badlands

Eri likes sparklers

Riding the firetrucks with Dad in the parade

Before going back to the ship, I went to Germany for a week to visit ship friends, Tina & Simon.  It was another whirlwind trip of seeing & doing as much as we could in the short amount of time.  I got real German food, saw historical sites & even went to a German wedding- Simon’s sister got married.  It was a blast & I’m blessed to have friends like these.

Off to Germany

Carriage ride in Dresden

Holocaust Memorial

Tina & Simon

Time for a wedding!

Pretty as a picture

There’s a lot I miss when I’m here, but there’s a lot I am grateful for.  I think it’s a nice trade off.  I know my time here isn’t forever & I will make the best of what I have while I can.  I’ve come to realize that there is a lot of stuff that I can live without & take joy in the little things.  Someone getting me a can of Dr Pepper or a package from home have become more important & more meaningful than buying the newest & latest thing.  It’s put things into perspective.

Blessings