Why Starting Over Is Harder Than It Sounds

I moved to Egypt on October 8th, 2022. It was absolutely terrifying at first. How was I going to learn Arabic? What waited in store for the future? When would I come home again? Thoughts ran marathons around my head, but eventually they stopped–settled, like dust in the air. The future became clearer, less daunting. Communities sprouted around me from unlikely places, growing blooms of friendship.

I didn’t just “deal with” the terror of it all, I leapt through hurdles in order to make my newfound house a home. It became my home for three years, one I still find myself longing for as I settle into my dorm at night. When I returned back to the United States August 20th, 2025, I was faced with an unusually strong sense of culture shock. What happened to the hustle and bustle of city streets, the smell of fresh jasmine wafting into my room?

remember noticing the rain and feeling a kind of excitement I hadn’t experienced in years. I missed seeing droplets paint the earth in the arid land of Cairo, but failed to brace myself for how impactful it’d truly be to see it again. “It’s just rain!” they’d exclaim. But it was never just rain– it was a testament to the change I had been through. 

Coming to boarding school, I didn’t expect much. “Maybe two or three close friends, and a few acquaintances,” I thought.

Another wave of friendship hit. This time, it didn’t stem from the desire to understand the future– but the confidence to make the present a time to remember. Rebuilding from culture shock was difficult, but I have come to honor the hurdles, no matter how exhausting.