Psychological First Aid Kit

I'm calling it my P-FAK. Only to be used in emergancies. A 10 x 13 manila envelope containing inspirational, heart-felt letters from family and friends.
I don't know who I'd be kidding if I said that I wasn't going to get home sick or that certain things about Guinea or the people won't get to me. Maybe it'll be because I can't communicate with someone that I deeply want to connect with. Or I've been called “porto”, “toubabou” or “foté” (white person/foreignor) one too many times. Someone dies seemingly senslessly in the village, everyone's always asking me for money, people idolize the US too much, I'm sick of having diarrhea for the third week in a row, I don't know why I feel the way I do.. I JUST DO! The possiblities are endless; but a close friend or family member won't always be available to console me. That's when I'll reach for the envelope and pull out a 'random' letter. Read their advice and reflect. Then write a letter back letting them know how their letter impacted me.
I think when I start letting things bother me, I've forgotten who I am. It is my hopes that these letters will remind me of my character and why I'm there in the first place: To impact others on whatever scale possible and to practice cultural exchange.