In 1986 I returned to the States after 4 years in Somalia. I have grieved that for 20+years. I only came back because I was ill. My first desire was to return to Africa. However events intervened. Part of the PTSD diagnosis comes from the events Somalia which made it difficult for me to fit into US culture. I'm told combat veterans report the same issue. Although I'm uncomfortable comparing my experience with theirs.
The guilt of not going back caused me to cut off contact with friends from that time. Well American and Dutch friends all but one of my Somali co-workers was killed in the civil war. Even though it raises my anxiety level I'm working to make contact with some of those friends. I'll even drag out the photos and try to connect names with faces and dredge some names up out of my memory.
The guilt of not going back caused me to cut off contact with friends from that time. Well American and Dutch friends all but one of my Somali co-workers was killed in the civil war. Even though it raises my anxiety level I'm working to make contact with some of those friends. I'll even drag out the photos and try to connect names with faces and dredge some names up out of my memory.
No comments:
Post a Comment