Coming Up for Air

I think it's clear from my last post this whole expat thing isn't always rainbows and butterflies. I think it's important to be honest about this. Facebook and Instagram photos are great and all, but this is my lifealot in the past 6 months and wouldn't trade it for anything, regardless.. Getting on that plane to Turkey was a good feeling. My first afternoon in Istanbul I napped with the door open and the sea breeze coming in off my top floor balcony. No mosquitoes, no sand, no barbed wire or bars on the windows, no gates or guards. Just clean, safe, fresh air. Getting out on my own is my way of shaking the loneliness that comes with being a vagabond. I am at my best when I travel, usually alone, all the while loving to meet as many people as possible along the way. I firmly believe you meet more people when you are on your own. A single person is more approachable than a pair of friends or a couple. The freedom and independence that comes with that is my drug, and I am hooked. With all that said, Turkey: Wow. I am not sure where to start but I think my photos speak for themselves. I am thankful for family and friends to visit along the way and the hospitality that has been extended my way means more than they probably know. I leave for Spain in two days, which is incredibly exciting. It's like visiting an old friend. I lived there almost a decade ago and my 20 year old self is most certainly a different person than my near 30 year old self. It should be interesting. I am currently mulling over the idea of starting another section of my blog for when I take trips. As with most things, I require some time to ponder. I am considering starting a forum to share my stories in more detail and give a few of my secrets to other fellow adventurers. For now it's a day of laundry, rest, travel and on to country 2/3. This may be hard to believe but there are things I miss about Niamey: My babies (JD and George), Coca- Cola in the glass bottles, and my own bed. In the mean time, I know how lucky I am and am going to make the most of the next month.

Surrounded by People, Lonelier than Ever

It’s the eve before the last day of school for the year. It’s hard to believe I have been living in Niamey for 6 months. It seems like I arrived just yesterday, and like time has flown by all rolled into one. It’s hard to describe this place to people on the outside. It truly is like another planet. I know I have said that before, but I don’t know how else to put it into words. The past 6 months have been full of joy, adventure, perspective, lessons, pain, loneliness, adultery, tears, accusations and coming to terms with a lot of realities. I am not sure what it is about this place that has forced me to look inwards so much. Maybe it’s the fact that I am alone in West Africa and hate to admit that I am not indeed fearless, but human after all. Being a teacher is the most thankless job in the world, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I learn from those kids every day and am thankful for this partial school- year. Getting to know families, colleagues and locals. You have to walk a very fine line in this community between all of these dynamics. You may work with a friend whose child you teach and who is on the board of directors. It can be any combination of this finely knit web and there’s nowhere to hide. With that said after really struggling emotionally for the past month or so, I had a realization recently. Talking with a friend on skype, and pouring my heart out, it hit me. You can be surrounded by people and feel lonelier than ever. There’s a reason why there’s an actual saying for “three’s a crowd.” This realization came when I thought about my upcoming trip and how much I am looking forward to being alone. In the past if I felt like the outsider I just did my thing. Or had amazing friends. Coming into life as an expat in Niamey while so many people are in a transition of their own,through no fault of their own, you become an afterthought. Once in a while that’s okay, but when it’s all the time even the strongest of us can be brought to our knees. BUT I am Megan Keach Goddammit and I chose this. Not for anyone else, but for myself. One more week and I will be in Turkey. After a 6 week trip through Europe and Morocco I will return to Niamey with a fresh start. It is a bizarre thing going from this place to the developed world, and back again. Spring Break was a week spent in Paris and one night in Istanbul. More lessons learned. More adventures. Friendships tested and made stronger. People surprise you for the better. Sometimes for the worse. The way you treat them in return or when no one is looking is the true test. The thing about travelling the world alone is you just never know if you are going to feel like the luckiest person in the world, or the loneliest. It is not a gamble I am willing to give up anytime soon. Don’t let the edited photos and exciting posts fool you. It comes with a price. One that is ultimately, priceless.