Home Again, Home Again.....

After an arduous 39 hour journey, we are home again. I woke this morning at about 5am with a deep sense of loneliness. For more than three weeks, I had shared close quarters with the boys and Christin. In addition, the world outside our rooms was one that did not subscribe to quiet hours or curfews. People lived their lives loudly, continuously, and nearly on top of one another. The house in Santa Rosa Beach seems so big for just three people, and the silence outside is deafening. But I know that this feeling is only fleeting....too soon I will adapt to our separateness and the relative sterility that those with more means live in in the United States.

I am very glad to be home, for all the reasons I noted earlier, as well as because my last day in Peru was spent mainly in the airport restrooms. When we woke up in Arequipa on Friday morning, both Eddie and I were not feeling well. We had to be at the airport at 6:30am for our flight to Lima. Eddie was vomiting and continued to do so throughout the flight much to our fellow passengers dismay. I was fairly concerned for him at one point as he turned absolutely ghostly white before becoming a hideous shade of yellow. However, once we hit Lima, he had one more trip to the restroom and then made a miraculous recovery much to our relief. By the end of the day, he was making the most of my weakened state to drink Starbucks frappachinos and eat McDonald's hamburgers.

As quickly as Eddie got better, I got worse. We had been planning on using our fifteen hour layover in Lima to check out the local markets, do some shopping, and sample the ceviche that others had been raving about. But I was in no condition to go anywhere. At about 10am, we camped out in four overstuffed chairs in of all places, Starbucks. Some people will know of the utter revulsion I have for patronizing Starbucks, but at that point, Starbucks was my favorite place in the world. The chairs were big enough to sleep on, they had hot water, and they didn't care if we stayed there all day. So we did, listening to Jack Johnson and Nora Jones sing Christmas songs, which was the most comforting thing ever. I got to the point where I could barely stand up and definitely had a fever. I contemplated taking the antibiotics that we had brought for these kinds of cases, but I didn't think I could even keep one down. Christin was, as always, fantastic, bringing me water and soda crackers and entertaining the boys. We literally stayed in that Starbucks for 12 hours, not leaving until it was time to check in for our 12:20am flight.

The rest of our journey consisted of a six hour flight to Miami, an hour train ride to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up my truck, and 12 hours back to the Panhandle. By the time we got home, I think we were pretty much delirious with fatigue. I have made a full recovery, assisted by hot showers, drinkable tap water, and toilets that one can put toilet paper in. The kids are ready to explore their Legos and boardgames and be content to be at home for a bit. I am in homemaker mode, playing Christmas music and feeling the itch to bake something. Our time away has made us so much more content with our time here, as is often the case. My mom asked me what our favorite part of the trip had been when I spoke to her this morning. I considered it for a moment and then had two answers. The first was sandboarding in the desert. That was so much fun and the landscape was completely new to me. But the second was really more "my favorite". It was exploring people different from myself. Seeing how others chose (or are forced) to navigate the lives we are given. Traveling to other countries makes me feel that I have been given another piece of the puzzle-one that I hope to spend my life trying to construct. Because there are so many ways to go about living and so many angles to view the world from, we can never hope to know them all. But traveling gives me the opportunity to see many more than I would while staying at home. I took a philosophy class years ago where the teacher used an analogy of blind men describing an elephant. Where ever each man touched, that was their view of what an elephant looked like. An elephant was a trunk or an ear or a tail or a leg since that was the only part the men knew. Only by gaining their sight, stepping back from the elephant, and viewing the whole animal could these men ever hope to see what it was really like. Such a feat for them was most likely impossible, just as viewing the world in its entirety is most likely impossible for us. However, being aware that one is only touching the trunk or the ear and attempting to explore further is the first step. For me, traveling is a way to explore the elephant.

I wanted to trying blogging about our trip for several reasons. I think it is good for the kids to do some writing, we always keep a record of our trip anyway, and we could share our experiences with our friends and family. But secretly, I also hope that this blog can inspire and give courage to others to travel abroad. Particularly to those with children. I hope that by sharing our trip, someone might feel more comfortable taking their own child to another country. As anyone can see from this blog, there are certainly challenges, and it is definitely not always relaxing. But the benefits of traveling for anyone-if you go with an open mind and heart- are immeasurable. I started traveling with the kids when Wyatt was six and I was scared to death because I had only been out of the country once. But we picked Costa Rica, a fairly mild destination, and gave it a try. As my children and I gain confidence, I hope to spend time in every part of the world, learning about all the wonderful (and not so wonderful!) things out there while giving my children the most expansive view of the elephant that I can. Thank you to our friends and family for all their support and love, while we were gone, as well as everyday. You all are the source that I draw my energy and drive from. Happy Holidays and I look forward to hearing about all the travels we have inspired for the new year!

Love,
Jenny