Well, Italy took me down hard! It could have been the tree pollen, the flowers, a trip to a honey factory, or a glass of red wine. Whatever it was, my lips became swollen, my throat closed, and I was in a state of anaphylactic shock. I opted for pharmacy Diphenhydramine and Ibuprofen, over going to the hospital. The meds helped, but my lips dried out and the bottom one turned from red to black. I’ve tried the lemon on a toothbrush scrub, lip hydrating mask, and lip balm. It’s getting better.

I returned to Yerevan for the temporary crown that I didn’t have time to get, after my implant surgery. My dentist wanted the area to heal a little long, before placing the temporary. So, I flew back from Rome and booked a hotel. That was a week ago. My dentist is on vacation and I’ll need to book a second (and maybe third) week to get everything done. I’ll then need to return, this November, for the abutment and permanent crown. And so, after seven months of traveling, I’m benched. But, as it’s turned out, I’m not alone.

When I left Armenia, at the end of my Peace Corps service, in 2019, I knew that I would someday return. Being in Yerevan is like being back home. I have old friends still working at some of the major hotels. I book stays in and out of those. And, although the city has changed, I still seem to know my way around. I’m familiar with the local bus system, the Metro, and the best ways to walk from point A to B. At this point, I know my way around Yerevan better than most cities I lived in, back in the USA.

While trying to figure out how to spend my downtime, a funny thing happened. Members of my old Peace Corps cohort began arriving. My friend Matt is here, vacationing in both Armenia and Georgia. He’s from North Carolina and a big NCSU fan. I was an Academic Librarian, at Duke University, before retiring and doing my second tour of service with the Peace Corps. Next, I received a message from two other members of my old cohort. Grant and Anna were also in Yerevan and had just run into Matt.

When I was in Yerevan last May, my friend Jim suggested that I ask Peace Corps Armenia for permission to attend the swearing in ceremony for the new cohort. I did and was also invited to come by the office, meet the trainees (swearing in the next day as volunteers) and to help paint the mural at headquarters. Jim was also there, along with two other local Returned Peace Corps volunteers. We were then asked to add our hand prints to the wall. On this most recent trip, I caught up with Jim. We both share the same dentist.

So, for the next few weeks, I have nothing to do. My host sister has a birthday, at the end of the week. I’ll head home, to my old Peace Corps site, for that. Meanwhile, I’m all about that lip, face, and foot mask life. With no flights to catch, airports to navigate, or new cities to explore, I’m taking a well deserved vacation from international travel. It feels great to be in a city that I already know, surrounded by friends and my Peace Corps Armenian families. Maybe, Italy was a sign that fifteen or so countries, in six months, was a tad too much. It’s time to stop and slow things down.

I spent so much time planning, traveling, and exploring that I forgot to do a better job of taking care of myself! Fixing that ASAP! XOXO (self love) — GGT