Peppermint Lattes

Yes, I’m in the Peace Corps. I frequently have to remind myself. As I sit here, enjoying my gingerbread spice latte, I chastise myself. Don’t get me wrong. I’m constantly grateful for all of the conveniences that I have. I have internet in my apartment. I have running water. There is a Starbucks less than 1 hour away from where I live. Yet, when I arrived at Starbucks today in hopes of a peppermint latte, I was all too quick to roll my eyes and sigh when I had to “settle” on gingerbread flavor instead. It’s moments like this that I need to remind myself of the luxuries that I have that other volunteers might not get to enjoy.

Luxury.

But, as my students say, “There are two sides to every coin.” I thought that coming to Starbucks today would fix my America cravings. After seeing countless pictures of Halloween, hearing about the impending graduation of many of my fellow MIIS students, and Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the bend I felt like I needed this trip. I thought that this Starbucks run would fix me. I thought that I would taste of bit of home and I’d be alright for a while. But, like any addict who falls off the wagon knows, we usually take some time to play in the mud before climbing back into the wagon. Maybe I’ll find a store to buy butter at today. Maybe I’ll go crazy and buy some cheese. Although it may taste good, I have a feeling that butter will not make me feel any closer to my friends and family.

All of this got me to thinking. Would I have been able to survive had I been placed in Africa or some remote island in the Pacific? Yes. Would my “problems” be the same? No. The fact of the matter is I’m not at home. Are the things that I experience more similar to home than someone living in hut? Probably. But no matter how close I get, the focus on the gap will arise. I will hone in on the differences.

Meimei
Real sister, maybe not. But I'm pretty darn grateful for her.

Olga and Marty
These people keep me sane.

You know what they say, “You always want what you can’t have.” People want happiness. Living in other countries really shows that that is a universal human goal. We all have different ideas of how to achieve it. The nouveau-riche of China strive to live lives of luxury. We’ve seen how well that works in the U.S., yet still some people have not learned the lesson. Some strive for security. Some people strive for simplicity. Others even look for happiness in love and relationships. Sooner or later we’re all left staring at the bottom of what used to be a gingerbread latte, still craving that peppermint. 

Every person can choose for herself where to go from there. I choose gratefulness.