Yulla.

My dear friends, the time has come.

Time to say goodbye to eggnog, wi-fi, central heat, a car, and ling-ling's frozen potstickers; time to breathe a huge sigh of relief that my grad school applications are finally all completed; time to rejoice that this is the last time I'll see snow or ice for a long, long time.

Yes,  the time has come to leave America behind for yet another 6 months. I must say, America treated me very well for the past 3 weeks. No complaints. There have been times when I've come home and reeled a bit from the incongruity between America's lifestyle and the developing world--nope, this time I was just grateful to be able to rest and refresh myself so I can go back to Egypt with that much more strength and energy. And really, I aim to be grateful for what life brings me. And if it brings me 3 weeks of hot showers and my family? I'll take it. 

It was also a relief just not to be busy. Busyness is a curse no matter what corner of the globe you're on--my Egyptian daily grind is just as bad as any schedule I've had back in the States. To be able to take the time to sit on the couch with my parents and watch "The Superstars of Dance"? Incredible. There's something kind of endearing about puttering around the kitchen during a commercial break while my mom yells, "Aliss! The South Africa duo tribal dancers are coming back on!" I mean, that's what relaxing with your family is about, right?

So now that 98% of the world is going back to business as usual after the New Year, I'm glad to be able to sneak a few more weeks of relaxation (and starvation, given my travel budget) before I head back to work, too. First stop: Madrid. 

I'll talk to you all again from across the Atlantic, isa. Until then, take care!