The oldest, most prestigious merit scholarship program in the United States
Blog post, 01 August 2009
On a road in Delaware
If I’d been living one hundred years ago and I’d taken a six-month ship voyage home, I might have had more time to reflect on the transition.
But I guess I might have had the opportunity to get scurvy, too.
The Incas never figured out the arch... Photo by Eliza Kern ’12
It’s unthinkable that I was in Peru only three days ago. The transition from third-world living to my house in Bethesda occurred in less than 24 hours, a testament to the power of modern transportation and very short layovers. If I’d been living one hundred years ago, and I’d taken a six-month ship voyage home, I might have had more time to reflect on the transition. But I guess I might have had the opportunity to get scurvy too.
I’m back in the land of hot showers and fresh vegetables, humid D.C. heat and U.S. Treasury dollars. And it feels good. Eight weeks is a long time to be away from home and morning delivery of the Washington Post. But there are things that I miss.
I miss freshly-squeezed orange juice. I miss Dilmar making a beeline for my knees in the morning. I miss the Puka Rumi steak sandwich Kelsey is so fond of, and taking a comvi ride with twenty people, plus livestock. I miss my host mother’s horror at my lack of reaction to the “chilly” Peruvian weather or her attempts to feed me endless amounts of soup. I miss Choko Soda cookies. And I’m going to sorely miss attending little Paulita’s baptism in two weeks.
I feel indescribably lucky to have had the summer I had.
