Links to YAGM Blogs

I've been trying to focus in the new year on keeping in touch better with people. It can be hard to fully live in the moment here while I'm constantly thinking about things back home, and missing things is not exactly my favorite game. Honestly, sometimes trying to reach out just makes me want to hole up in my house and forget the whole thing.
I'm still not good at calling people on their birthdays. I haven't written any more letters to people in the States. I continue to waste too much time on facebook snooping on people's pages I haven't talked to in six years. But I'm taking baby steps. A couple emails here. An impromptu skype call there.
We've now hit mid-year in YAGM. My time in Mexico is half over. Of all of the things I wanted to do in the last six months and didn't, I only have that much time again to try and fit them in. And there are new holidays to experience, new people to meet. I can't do it all. It's overwhelming. Add to that the anxiety of knowing that as quickly as all this started, it will be over twice as fast. What will my life look like when I get off that plane on July 15th (yep, it's official--I'm coming "home" on July 15th)? Where will I be living? Will I have a job? But mostly, I wonder who will be ready to help me carry the weight of what I have experienced here? With whom will I share the stories I could never write down?
One of the things I've found remarkably helpful is reading the blogs of my fellow YAGMs in other countries. Although we are worlds apart from one another, it's good to know that what I'm feeling isn't completely insane. Good to know that there are people who can understand what this year means to me. Good to know that I am not going to have these experiences at the expense of ever being able to feel at home in the States again. I know that I find these posts interesting for different reasons than you might, but I wanted to share a couple of them anyway.
I'll share Christine's post first, because I think it wonderfully sums up my mid-year transition feelings. Christine serves in South Africa.
Liz is in Slovakia. I loved her recent reflections on names. As a frequent name-changer myself, I know exactly what you mean.
Kate shares some really helpful information on marianismo, which I didn't even know was a thing, and the good (gasp!) parts of machismo, which I spend more time than I should feeling aggravated about.