The Final Countdown

I have seniortis. Of course I'm still dedicated to work - I'm busier now than I ever have been in fact - but I increasingly find my mind drifting to subjects related to home.

Often these thoughts focus on food. Chipotle, sushi, Indian buffet, delivery pizza and all you can eat wings, the list goes on, but it's safe to say that if the American Heart Association would have it blacklisted, I miss it.

Coma-inducing meals aside, what I REALLY miss about American cuisine is variety. No, not 'stale variety' (sorry, couldn't resist). That one can find foods from all around the world (including, I'm sure, Moldova) is one of many great things about America's cultural diversity. In fact, when I get back, I'm hoping to travel up the East Coast in pursuit of some of my favorite meals - my ma's home cooked meals (how's that for a suck up?) Indian buffet and Five Guys in Northern Virginia; deli sandwiches and pizza in Jersey; pretzels, Chinese and Italian gourmet in New York; late night and tailgate food in State College; hell, maybe I'll even make it up to Boston for the sea food. I've lost ten pounds in Moldova and I was already a thin guy before. It's time I start making up for lost time.

Other things beckon, among them family, friends, and hopefully a paying job. I have a fantasy football league to rejoin and college football games to attend. But, sometimes, the thought of readjusting to the hubub of American life and all of the things I'm hoping to do can be overwhelming. I've heard stories of returned volunteers having panic attacks in supermarkets and large crowds, for example. I don't expect that to happen to me, but does anyone really expect it?

The excitement of my first few weeks or months stateside will of course ebb into the daily grind. I'm sure then I'll find myself missing many of the things I've come to appreciate about Moldova. One has a sense of value living in a small tight-knit community, and I don't think there are many places in America where one can feel more anonymous than Washington D.C..

With that in mind I'm going to try to make the most of my last few months here. The United States may be looming ever larger in the back of my mind, but it's important for me to focus the rest of it on finishing strong.