Before I left for Tanzania, I was a college student. I went
to school at Friends, worked on campus, and lived on campus. I knew how to live
my life as a college student.
I arrived back in the States about three weeks ago, and what
a crazy three weeks it has been. Three days after I got back, my mom was
diagnosed with stage IV inflammatory breast cancer that has spread to her
spine. This last week, she started chemotherapy.
In the past three weeks, I’ve also started graduate school, begun
a new job, and picked up a second one to pay the bills.
I was gone for six weeks and everything changed. I was
happy; my family was happy and healthy. I knew how to live my life as a college
student.
Now, I’m back and everything is different. My family is
different; I go to a different school; I work a different job; I live in a
different house.
Transition is hard. I really liked the life that I lived
before, but it had to change. Everything is new, which adds to the difficulty.
Things will get easier as I find a new normal, but right now, it’s just hard.
