As I write at the beginning of every blog, this one too is very overdue. So much has happened since my last sleep deprived blog. I arrived in Chicago on the 14th of December. Maggie, Leah, and Sarah met me in the Hilton bar for a Jack and Coke. (The same way they sent me off.) I spent the first weekend of my visit in Chicago celebrating Libby’s birthday and reconnecting with friends. As always we had a wonderful time and constantly wondered if there was another group of friends in the world that have remained so close for so long and still had so much fun.

After Chicago I went to Champaign to visit my family and friends there. It was wonderful to see everyone, drink water right from the sink, and explore the grocery and bookstore. Choice is something that I had taken for granted before this experience.

On Christmas morning Maggie and I headed back the Marshall Islands. I am so thankful that she came with me. I not only loved showing her my life here, but it also made leaving home so much easier.

Now that Maggie is gone I am struggling a bit. I knew this would happen. The wonderful part of going home and having her here was that I could reconnect with my friends and family. The bad part was that now I have to re-disconnect. I have to readjusted to the extreme isolation that I had become accustom to, but this time with out the excitement of a new experience.

I am committed to being the best teacher that I can be to these incredibly deserving children in my last five months. I am determined to learn as much as I can from the Marshallese culture that has already taught me so much. However, I hope I can stop counting the days until I go home while I do all this.

On a positive I am getting closer to having Internet back in my home. By closer I mean that I may be working on it for three more months, but I think before I leave I may get to send one email from my house.

I hate to end on a bad note, but I do have devastating news to share. A Hummer has reached the Marshall Islands. How? I have no idea. It is not even one of the small “fuel efficient” models it is a full-fledged Arnold “the Governator” Hummer. With gas steadily climbing into the mid $5 range it is not even a status symbol, it is just a mark of stupidity.

I will add more pictures, but as always the Internet is being silly.