Post from Michelle:
My forehead pressed against the small window as I studied the green earth below. Farms and houses grew larger as the plane descended over the familiar Virginia farmland. Thirteen months ago I had flown over these exact fields, except then I was going up, not down. I was at the beginning of an adventure to see the world. Now, hard as it was to believe, I was at the end. The plane's tires hit the runway with a loud thud andà I was home.
Thoughts swirled in my head as fast as the butterflies swirled in my stomach. After a year of adventure, where every day offered new sights, tastes, ideas, and people, I wondered how easily I would adjust to everyday American life again. The life of work, rush hour traffic, shopping malls, and a self-absorbed culture awaited me. None of them sounded too appealing. But other things did appeal to meà varying my wardrobe so I had more to wear than a couple of ratty t-shirts and two pair of pants, seeing loved ones, eating without fear of sickness, and no longer living out of a backpack. I looked forward to sleeping in a bed with a familiar pillow, driving a car, and jogging in the evening.
I feel different inside. The person returning is a different person from the one who left. More at peace and with a calmer spirit I return. More educated about history, religion, environment, and culture, I feel closer to humanity and more connected to the world.
In the last year I flew on over 20 flights and each time went through a similar routine upon landing - I got my passport stamped in immigration, waited patiently for my luggage in baggage claim, then cleared my bag through customs. This time the routine was the same but the situation was different. I knew the currency, understood the language spoken, and my father was waiting to take me home as I walked through the arrival gate.
It was the end of one adventure, sure not to be my last.
Thoughts swirled in my head as fast as the butterflies swirled in my stomach. After a year of adventure, where every day offered new sights, tastes, ideas, and people, I wondered how easily I would adjust to everyday American life again. The life of work, rush hour traffic, shopping malls, and a self-absorbed culture awaited me. None of them sounded too appealing. But other things did appeal to meà varying my wardrobe so I had more to wear than a couple of ratty t-shirts and two pair of pants, seeing loved ones, eating without fear of sickness, and no longer living out of a backpack. I looked forward to sleeping in a bed with a familiar pillow, driving a car, and jogging in the evening.
I feel different inside. The person returning is a different person from the one who left. More at peace and with a calmer spirit I return. More educated about history, religion, environment, and culture, I feel closer to humanity and more connected to the world.
In the last year I flew on over 20 flights and each time went through a similar routine upon landing - I got my passport stamped in immigration, waited patiently for my luggage in baggage claim, then cleared my bag through customs. This time the routine was the same but the situation was different. I knew the currency, understood the language spoken, and my father was waiting to take me home as I walked through the arrival gate.
It was the end of one adventure, sure not to be my last.