Kenyan Recovery Process.

I did survive. I was NOT eaten by a hippo.

I have had a bunch of people asking about the Kenya trip and how it was and to see pictures and all that jazz, and it will come. I promise. Soon hopefully.

I have been back for slightly over a week now, but only back to myself for a day or two. Coming back home was not a culture shock (as our leader claimed it would be, thus the pizza dinner on our last night?). No, it was a complete release of emotional and psychological trauma and stress.

Trauma might be a heavy handed word, but by my mental and physical reaction to getting out of that situation, it feels like its the most relevant. It took a massive amount out of me. I was quick to blame all the irregular medications I was on (antibiotics for my stitches, malarone, and all the lovely pills I normally take). But I really don't think that was it alone, combine very little sleep (I was getting about 4 hours a night), absolutely no personal or reflection time from 7am-10pm, relationships that would drive Ghandi up a wall. Then throw in a completely unbalanced diet (veggie and fruit free, my nightmare) and zero possibilities of working out, and you have a completely hazed and lucid situation.

The above paragraph totally underestimates the importance of how much I was driven completely batty on this trip by key members of the group. It was 95% of the problem, and it took literally every ounce of my sanity to hold back and not launch into the jugulars of people. (If you were on this trip, and reading this, I probably don't mean you)

It's amazing how weird and scary not feeling like yourself can actually get.

But yes. Sleep has somewhat been restored, yoga has been restarted, clarity is still slowly coming back, and I am beginning to feel like a normal person again. I haven't even gotten through telling Tim about the whole trip yet. I kinda feel like its war just to go through it all again, same with the pictures. Sorting them is just like reliving it and I can only do so many at a time. It doesn't help that I have an endless 2100 to get through. I havent even actually finished journalling. That will be a long while. That takes energy that I just still don't have.

So keep your eye out. Pictures will be around in a Kenyan minute. But hopefully sooner!

Namaste.

Cue Lion King Theme.

I just wrote a huge post about my surgeries and back ordeal. So scroll on down if you are interested in those shenanigans that have lasted far too long!

We leave for Kwambekenya in a few hours, but we won’t get there until tomorrow. Via Chicago, London, and Nairobi.

As a self-admitted terrified flier (odd with all the traveling I do, I know), feel free to send up some prayers to the plane and higher if you think of it today. Xanax can do a lot, but I’ll take all the help I can get :-)

Sara Fitzgerald has been deemed the blogger for the group on this trip and should be posting daily updates to http://www.plcblogs.org/influence So if you want to check out our progress in Kenya. Here is your opportunity!!!

I’ll be back July 3rd, so after resting and a crazy amount of laundry, keep a look out for crazy picture and blog posts of my own!