if you look around you will see lizards everywhere

i never thought i would say this but transitioning back to starbucks is going to be rough. they have the BEST coffee i have ever had in my life here. it is now august 26th. that's weird. i left on my little adventure on may 29th so it has now been almost exactly 3 months since i left the US. recently i have been having a lot of time to reflect or maybe i have been making time to reflect. probably because it is the halfway point. the biggest question that remains in my mind is "how do you go home from something like this and be normal?" to that, i do not have the answer. honestly, i don't even have a guess. it's not about the material poverty that being in africa lends itself to. many people may assume that returning to the US will be challenging on that level. in the past that is what has been hard. this time is different though. the way of life here is just different. the truth is that wearing long skirts, being on 'african time' and being a part of the minority just feels normal now. several weeks ago i stopped having the euphoric "I'M IN AFRICA" thoughts and began thinking about going to class and grabbing some coffee at my favorite coffee shop with some friends. looking around and being the only white person is even starting to feel normal. life in the US seems like such a foreign concept right now. i'm sure after a few weeks of returning i will start loving the quick service and constant, fast internet but for now i am almost enjoying the exceptionally slow-paced lifestyle. i'm starting to feel more motswana than texan and though there still are cultural differences and challenges to be faced i am enjoying the transition. obviously, there are things that i miss and am afraid to miss out on. SFA (my university) starts classes tomorrow. as much as i love being here, i love my school. i miss the tall trees and green grass. being here in the middle of a desert provides practically no greenery. i miss the simplicity of a starbucks on campus and hanging out with shelby wasting hours on facebook when we are suppossed to be studying. i miss heather. my favorite barista at starbucks who knows what to make for me as soon as she sees my face. i miss my family. i even miss chloe's non-stop talking. i miss driving alone from east texas to central texas through back country roads, blasting the music and singing along. i miss spanish. i even miss spanish class and constantly being in spanish mode. with all of that said, i wouldn't change where i am right now. i feel right. this sounds cheesy but i am happy with the way the Lord made me and the person i am turning into. i love the passions that He has given me and the places he has taken and still will take me. i am so grateful that he chose me to be passionate about languages and gave me the oppurtunity to be here. i love the way that life here feels so comfortable. i feel like the passions the Lord has created me with align so perfectly with what He has planned for my life. i think it is so cool that He does this. maybe this is boring but it is simply a compilation of my most recent thoughts. i have been hanging out naledi kids a lot and i love them with all my heart. things are good. thank you so much to those of you that have been praying for me and haven't forgotten about me. i said to the Lord, “Thou art my Lord; I have no good besides Thee” psalm 16:2.