Final Thoughts From the Last Stop

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Trip Start Jun 12, 2006 Previous
Entry Trip End Nov 28, 2006

  Denver, United States
Tuesday, November 28, 2006

She said:

As I look back on our five month journey, I am amazed at what I have learned. I am not just talking about art appreciation and history, but also things about myself, my husband, and people from other countries. I thought about making a list to include these things, but realized that throughout my blogs, I have already shared many of my opinions and observations about each country with you. So I won't repeat myself and discuss things like bathrooms, accommodations, or cultural experiences. What I will do is wrap-up the deeper meaning of this trip, not just for you, but also for me to be able to look back and always remember how I felt when we returned.

Towards the beginning of the trip, the days seemed to pass by in real time and we found ourselves saying things like, "Wow, I can't believe how much time we potentially still have left." It wasn't until our friends and family began to meet us over there that time began to fly. Chad and I kept a per diem of our budget, so we were always aware of how many days we were gone each time we entered the budget. We regarded every day as a gift and tried to see and do as much as we could fit in.

We met so many great people along the way and tried to take at least one thing away from having met someone new. Many times throughout the trip we met people who were amazed at what we were doing, and my response usually included something like, "This is the only time in our lives that we will be able to do something like this." Chad would tell me not to say that, but it's how I saw it. Even now, I still don't foresee a time, pre-retirement that is, that we will be able to take such an extended trip. What I do see, though, is a future of unplanned and spontaneous journeys all throughout the course of our life together, and for a Type-A personality, that's a pretty big change.

I didn't start to think about life after the trip until the last few cities we visited. Every aspect of life as we knew it in New York was about to change, and suddenly my thoughts changed to "OK, what the hell are we going to do when we get to Colorado?" In reality, we both had some ideas about what we might do once we got there. But, we have been on such a wild ride since our wedding in March that the reality of getting off it began to feel overwhelming. Part of me was excited to come to a new place we would be calling home after only knowing New York as home for almost seven years. I was ready to settle into one place for a while, unpack, and most of all, see how our next chapter would be written.

This journey has been an amazing experience not just for all we were lucky enough to see and do, but also for us as a couple. We did not kill each other; in fact, I am pretty sure we only had as many fights as I can count on one hand. The trip made us closer, and it made our eight-year-anniversary-since-we-met in Paris so much sweeter. I realized that this trip, and future trips, will be what we choose to work for in the coming years. So, in response to the question of "has this trip changed you?" No, I don't think this trip has changed me per se, but I do think that it has changed some of my ways in regards to work and travel. I want to be a person that works to live, not lives to work, and although I am not naïve to the daily stresses of life (i.e. bills, jobs, etc.), this will be my goal for maintaining a good quality of life.

Yes, it is going to be hard to re-assimilate back into "real life". But, daily life as we knew it no longer exists. We are in a new state, looking for new jobs, searching for a living space bigger than a shoebox for much less than a small fortune, driving a car after seven years without one, and I will be assuming a new last name. As the year comes to an end and I look back upon it, I cannot believe what an amazing 2006 it's been for us. I am so incredibly grateful for those who helped us along the way, whether it be with words of encouragement or financial support. Each contribution made a difference for us. As for the trip, I wouldn't change a thing, nor would I want to try and repeat it. This will always be the trip that was: our honeymoon, Chad's 32nd birthday, my 30th birthday, our eight year anniversary (although I realize now that we are married we have to start all over again), and a journey that we worked together to make happen in more ways than one.

He Said:

Within minutes of clearing customs in Chicago, we were sitting in the terminal waiting for our connecting flight. Bob was sitting across the room from me with a briefcase between shoes. He was very sorry that his colleague had offered such terrible customer service to the reps in the Connecticut office, and he promised to call as soon as the plane landed. Everyone throughout B-Terminal knew his story after he screamed into his cell phone for approximately ten minutes. Welcome home, I thought.

For five months, I thoroughly enjoyed not being able to understand people's conversations. Chatter became white noise, not a ridiculous, loudmouthed conversation about whether or not little Johnny brushed his teeth that morning, which also actually took place over the roar of a luggage conveyor belt. In addition, I enjoyed the fact that cell phone conversations in Europe are made with more consideration. But as I sat in the O'Hare Airport and felt myself filling with rage toward Bob, the obnoxious mom, and the simple fact that we had to return to the States, I had a moment of clarity and stopped myself. The last five months has been all about seeing and experiencing new and different cultures, and while there was nothing new about returning to the States, it was definitely different. As they say in France, "Vive la difference!"

I always knew this trip would change me in many ways, though only a few days removed from it, I don't think I can completely recognize nor describe those changes other than to say we will be implementing what I call "Smart Living" into our day-to-day lives. High fructose corn syrup will be cut out of my diet. I will be a major proponent of higher gasoline taxes, despite the fact that we will now be driving cars. Finding ways to travel and continue learning will be at the top of our priority list. We will recycle. We will try to find a home with a swinging nozzle on the bathroom sink. We will try to buy fresh breads and unprocessed foods. We will work to live the way we want to live. And, we will turn the notion of "real world" on its head. Reality is what you make it, not some societal term that directs citizens to become good producers and consumers.

One-hundred and fifty-two days later, we'd like to thank everyone that helped make this trip possible. We'd like to thank everyone with whom we met up, everyone who put us up, and everyone we met along the way, especially those we still hear from who all seem to live in Washington State. We'd also like to say thanks for putting up with these lengthy rantings over the last five months. At some point, these blogs became our own personal journals. While that might have led to more truthful observations on our part, it surely diminished some of the entertainment value, for which we both apologize. I lost attention for myself a long time ago, so I don't know how some of you are still reading these things!

Now that we've made a micro-journey of the United States, we've had a chance to see many friends and family members, two close friends get married, Thanksgiving, and finally, a nice snowstorm to welcome us here to Colorado. As everyone told me along the way, life never changes at home when you're gone. Things stay the same, and life continues to happen. While coming back to the States was at the bottom of my to-do list, just above watching a George W. Bush press conference, it has been great to see everyone again and resume our place in the things-that-never-change. Now we can begin exploring a new part of the world in the American West, which Alli has never seen before. I'm looking forward to visiting so many of the landscapes I saw as a kid. I think we'll begin with Arizona, where it seems the University of Florida will play for the National Championship of college football. Thanks for listening, and Go Gators!

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