Hello! I'm not quite sure if anyone will ever actually read this post because I have let so much time elapse since last writing. I did promise to keep this blog going and have been very slack in keeping that promise! At any rate, it is what it is and I have been home now for 30 days + 1. It has been quite an adjustment coming home. For starters, I was contained by customs for several nerve-wracking minutes as I was questioned by two officers as to how I managed to travel for 16 months without a job. My answer, though truthful, was surely less than believable to them because they must have been able to see my chest visibly pounding through my shirt! Also, nothing in the 16 months and countless flights that I took was ever taken out of my bag...that is until I landed in Atlanta, Georgia. What a welcome home...a stolen medicine bag and an interrogation as to why on earth someone could possibly not work for 16 months and actually go out and see the world and live life! ;)
Mom, Callie, Stephanie, James and Ashlee were all at the airport to greet me with neon posters, hugs and smiles. It was great to see so many familiar, loved faces all at once! We high-tailed it to the nearest cheap, hole in the wall Mexican restaurant where we ordered queso blanco and margaritas (at 11 AM!). That welcome, followed shortly by Mexican food, more than made up for the slight unnerving the customs guys put me through in ATL!
The last few weeks have been a blur of activity. First, I unpacked. Much to my pleasant surprise, all of the boxes that I shipped home over the 16 months made it to Mom's house. It was fun opening them to see what all I had decided to discard along the way or that I had picked up en route. In total, I think I bought no less than 30 scarves and an entire chest worth of jewelry....my favorite things to buy when traveling, clearly! I spent several days getting settled back into living in the bedroom of my childhood. It was like Christmas going through all of my clothes and shoes...so many things that I had forgotten I even had!! Looking at all that stuff, though, also made me realize how much I have that I truly don't need. After spending 16 months living out of a backpack with limited clothing and shoe options, it became very easy to decide what to wear...limited options = simple and easy. I feel a big purge coming on of everything that was waiting for me at home.
I caught up with old friends, spent time with family, etc. I tried my hand at surfing again in Cocoa Beach, FL. I drove to NC to visit friends and former co-workers and to celebrate my brother's 30th birthday. Friends from college and I met to watch a Florida game together. Friends from NC hosted a 'welcome back to the States' party for me. Thanksgiving. Grandma taught me how to make her delicious fudge! Needless to say, I have been occupied completely since returning.
Am I going through culture shock? Yes. It first struck me during my layover in Atlanta before landing in Orlando. Have you ever actually paid attention to how unhealthy and unnatural food is in airports in this country?! I was shocked by not only that but by the 30+ people in line for their Starbucks fix. (keep in mind that for the cost of one of those magnum size caffeine drinks, I could eat well in Asia for an entire day!). Also, everyone at home seems so preoccupied with their phones. I stood in the middle of the terminal as the sun was rising, watching and appreciating how wonderful a day it was starting out to be while everyone around me chatted or banged away on their phones, completely ignoring the beautiful sunrise. Finally, I am amazed by how much I have changed as compared to everyone else around me. Life went on here, same thing, different day. It makes me ever so grateful that I did take the time out of my life to go watch those sunrises, to meet those people, to just wake up and see what each day would bring. I miss those moments very much.
As for what's next....that's still a mystery to me as well. Quite honestly, I don't feel that I am in the right frame of mind to make any long-term decisions about what to do, where to go just yet. It's amazing how 16 months away from 'normal life' can alter your perspective on what is important! I really want to be sure that whatever comes next for me, it feels right from all angles. Time will tell. In the mean time, I hope that you and your family are excited for the holiday season! I am looking forward to all those traditional things which make being at home with friends and family so special.
