I’ve been here for 5 days now and am finally starting to get settled in. The first few days were incredibly hard, more so than I could have imagined. I would wake up in the middle of the night and just cry while I talked to my parents on the phone. I was exhausted, jet lagged, and alone. I missed my family and the comfort of America so so badly. But then Monday came and I got to work in the hospital, and teach little kids English, and spend time with the coolest people from the Philippines, and do a devotion with the kids. And suddenly, I didn’t find myself crying anymore. I found myself having fun, being grateful for the opportunities that I know I wouldn’t get in America (I mean I get to run blood tests on my own, with no training). They days aren’t hard anymore and the nights aren’t lonely. I still miss my family and it would be nice to have the commodities if America but I don’t find myself dwelling on those thoughts. I just go out and have fun and love on the people here as best as I can. I’m not sure what the rest of the trip will look like, but I’m hoping I enjoy it as much as I’m enjoying myself now.
Tara
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