Home Again

Trip Start Nov 21, 2008
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Trip End May 29, 2009


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Flag of United Kingdom  , England,
Friday, May 15, 2009

And so the last few days of the trip were spent in Rio, strolling along Copacabana and Ipanema beaches and basking in the beautiful sunshine or dipping into the ocean when it got too hot.  I spent some time wandering the districts of Rio and took a tram ride to the old district of Santa Theresa with its period architecture, steep narrow streets and plethora of graffiti artwork that line the walls of the district.  Finally it was time to go home and the long wait at the airport brought excited thoughts of seeing friends and family again.  Six months is a long time to be away from loved ones and to be returning home to a familiar place is a wonderful feeling.  Landing in Heathrow after a long 11 hour flight however was a strange experience and passing through the dull grey districts of London suburbia highlights the stark difference betwen normal life and the neon majesty of the asian cities or the sun drenched beauty of South America. I find myself viewing the sights of London with tourists eyes, except with such a familiarity with the British culture the differences, the very Britishness of the place struck me with a fierceness I was unprepared for, it is a wierd feeling.  Now I am back in the UK I feel that just like all the new places that I had seen, it is going to take me a little time to become accustomed to being here again.  The one observation that is clear is the warmth and welcoming of again seeing my family and friends, while the places I have been all have their beauty and their ugliness, the feeling of again being with loved ones is instantly comfortable. Home it seems, is most definately where the heart is.
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