Homeward bound...

I'm heading home... Sounds like an obvious enough thing to do since its the x-mas break after all. The GSB is still alive and kicking however, there are plenty of exciting study trips- India, China, Guatemala, Japan and Scandinavia amongst places. Opportunities lost since I am not going on any of the great trips, one might think- but after 18 months of being away from home, something has to give- this is by far the longest extended period of time I've been away and I'm anxious for family contact. And it's not like I'm not going to be learning anything when I'm in Tanzania- this provides the perfect opportunity to evaluate some of my ideas in context, I'll also be meeting up with a GSBer who is traveling the region. My life already spans 3 continents, cultivating relationships across these geographies is becoming difficult- an although I see the value of study trips, I'm not so keen to stretch myself in that direction until I have a firm grasp of the US. I'll probably head to Asia in summer. Interestingly enough, friends and family in Tanzania are largely approving of my efforts here in the USA- they see the value the education brings and always have and can tolerate me being away for such a long time. This is in sharp contrasts to my European/UK friends- who now label me as "too hard working with no time to enjoy life"- this shocked me a bit. I'm sorry, being in California surrounded by smart people around the world with access to wise professors, entrepreneurs is the most fun I've had. Sure, its tough at times, but clearly the interpretation of my European counterparts of how I feel about my time here needs some clarification.