In the form of an autoethnography, a returned Peace Corps volunteer examines how, when, and if, he was able to establish a significant level of cross-cultural awareness while living in Surname, South America for two years. Employing a process called emotional recall, the author analyzed two years worth of personal journals kept during his time in Suriname. The author writes about the explored interactions of his physical/temporal reality and "enacted" reality to provide examples of going through the first three levels and his fleeting attainment of the fourth level of cross-cultural awareness. Ultimately, one of the primary interpretations the author concludes from this examination is that power structures and personal perceptions have a great influence on cultural experiences and how those experiences are perceived to apply meaning. (Contains 1 figure and 1 footnote.)