Last Words, First Thoughts

Note: No new pictures, unfortunately!

Day-to-Day: 16-21 September 2011

 

I started to write this post on the plane from Istanbul to London, but couldn’t focus enough. In London, I spent my twelve hour layover going through British customs (looooong line), finding the tube and meeting my Couchsurfing hosts Ginette and Martin. They picked me up at a tube station and took me to their lovely home, decorated with their photos of their travels. We chatted until late and in the morning I caught a bus to the tube station, the tube to the airport, and took off on my nine hour flight to Durham, NC, USA!

Since I’ve been home, my energy levels have been fluctuating a whole lot. One day will feel pretty good and the next I’ll take four or five naps. My stomach hasn’t reacted terribly well to being home, although I’ve been eating terrific food (compliments of the chef, my dad). A couple of people think it might be the water… not bad, just different. I think that might be it, because things seem to be settling down in that arena.

As for my mood… it fluctuates a lot also. From feeling chatty to silent, from engaged to completely disengaged, my mood isn’t really settling yet. I’m kinda feeling a bit down, to be honest, although with no real specific reason. And while sometimes I’m excited to share some travel story or another, at other times I actively don’t want to talk about my travels. I have gone through my travel goodies – the souvenirs and stuff I sent home from abroad – but just once, and they’re all packed away. For some reason, I don’t feel ready to “deal” with them yet. Whatever that means.

I guess I’m just not fully home yet. Everyone laughs gently at my bewilderment at being tired and out of sorts, but I really don’t understand it. I’ve been whirling around the world, hopping from city to city, being rootless the whole time, and haven’t really felt this way. Part of it is facing what’s next… which is a complete mystery to me, by the way. We’ll all just have to wait and see…

In general, it’s very nice to be home: chatting and catching up with my folks; eating nice food; having access to a hot shower with soap, where I don’t have to wear shoes; soft toilet paper; and a car and wi-fi and all the things that seemed sometimes difficult abroad; all of this is great. There are no real demands on me or my time, although there are few things that need doing (doctor’s appointment, etc). I had a great visit with lots of family immediately on my return, since there was a celebration party for my brother marrying Liz. Two grandmothers and an uncle, not to mention my brother and his wife’s family… it was a great weekend with good company, conversation and food.

I feel very odd. On the one hand I feel like I never left: my parent’s house is just the same, as is the room I stay in there. On the other hand, I gues I don’t feel like I’m really home, as in staying home as opposed to moving on in a week or two. It’s a very disjointed feeling and I’m trying not to push myself too hard to feeling “normal.”

As a final note to this entry: I don’t plan on stopping this blog. I figure enough will be going on that I’ll want to write about, from searching for “what’s next” to making the decision on whether to be employed and with whom and where… so I hope that any readers out there will stick with me!

--Z