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8.) How many HCNs, upon coming back, were surprised that you actually came back?
• Zero (4)
• Two - Counterpart and significant other
• A few skeptics
• At least 50% of the people I talked to
• All 2 million
• People were surprised that I was actually happy to be back
9.) On a scale of 1-10 (10 being god-awful, 1 being not bad at all), how bad was the jet lag going home? How was it
coming back?
• 1 going home, 10 coming back
• 1 both ways
• 5 going home, 2 coming back
• Not bad at all
• 4 going home, 8 coming back
• 1 going home, 20 coming back
• 4 both ways, thanks to sleeping pills
• 4 going home, 7 coming back
• 1 going home, 9 coming back
10.) If you brought anything back to Macedonia with you, what was the most important thing?
• A laptop
• Pancake mix and maple syrup
• Entertainment (books, music, DVDs)
• Gifts for friends and co-workers
• Bath and Body works products, candles
• A zip drive and underwear
• Food
• A new oven mitt
• A down comforter
11.) On a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest and 1 being lowest), how glad are you that you went home?
• Three - 1
• Five - 1
• Seven - 2
• Nine - 1
• Ten - 3
12.) Any other comments?
• It was nice, though probably the dullest vacation I ever took. I'm used to taking vacations to do things.
This trip was just seeing family/friends. Good stuff, but it felt too familiar.
• It was good to see family, but now I’m overly anxious to return to a ‘normal’ life. I have to remind myself that there is still plenty of time left here.
• America is smoke-free. Burlington is a happy circus. Central heating reduced my blood pressure exponentially.
• Going home was great. The funny thing was how normal it all felt! It was a really nice refresher to help
me plow through my last year of service.
• I had a great time, but my family and friends were very demanding and possessive the whole time and,
surprisingly, I felt very relaxed and comfortable upon returning to “work” in Macedonia.
• At this point I’m glad I chose to go home for a visit. It totally changed my perspective on this experience.