There are so many rules to keep track of here: wear shoes/slippers at all times, no glass upstairs, no food in the living room, No headphones downstairs, you have to be dressed to be able to come downstairs...etc. Trust me, there are more, but I won't bore you with the details because it's a lot.

Today is Earth day. As a part of our work program (which we have every morning after breakfast), we picked up trash along the side of the road. Due to my bad hip, I was on "bag-holding" duty. Halfway through, I started crying and feeling panicky and overwhelmed. So many rules, so much physical pain, so much homesickness. I came inside early to catch my breath and regroup. This made me feel even more overwhelmed because I feel like I'm not pulling my weight around here. There's a lot to be done and only so many hands.

I don't know how I feel about my future here. There is so much adjustment to be done on my part, that even thinking about it makes me feel anxious.

We are going Go-Karting tomorrow to have some fun. I was told that it's not a good idea for me to participate with my bad hip. It will be difficult to watch everyone else have fun while I'm sitting on the sidelines.

Please send me some extra love and support. I definitely need it right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: I feel a bit less overwhelmed now. I don't know if its medication, the people I'm around (who are lovely, by the way) or the fact that I'm getting more acquainted with everything here (or a combination of everything). My main concern right now is going to see a doctor to see what is wrong with my hip and what I can do to not be in pain anymore. I have my parents to thank for keeping me grounded.

xoxo, Sarah