Changing of Seasons

I've never appreciated the changing of seasons until now. Even after 3 years in Atlanta, I didn't mis the cold or the snow. Here it is December and around 100 degrees. I never saw the leaves change color and fall, I never saw the frost or the snow. Seasons do change here, but not to the extent I'm used to. The changing of seasons makes us realize that time is going by. We can measure how far we've come, and how much we need to do before they change again. Maybe that's why I have had such a hard time realizing I've been here 6 months already. I left America in July and it's been summer ever since. Will I feel that way next year? Will it feel like a few months rather than I whole year? No hats, no gloves, no complaining about how cold I am, no hearing Christmas music everywhere I go. Not knowing how to measure the passing of time, not realizing I'm missing so much in the United States. Until I spent Thanksgiving here in Guinea, I always considered holidays over-rated. I realize now that I'm really going to miss Christmas. Gathering with the family around the fir, and every other cliché that's now a part of Christmas; I'll miss it! Sometimes I wonder if I'm here just so that I'll learn to appreciate everything when I come back for good.
Well, if you know my family, give them a hug for me because I know they miss me just as much as I miss them. If you don't know my family (you should), give someone in your own family a hug and tell them how much you love them. Merry Christmas and to all a goodnight!