A Long Time to Be Gone + a Short Time to Be There

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Trip Start Dec 04, 2005 Previous
Entry Trip End Jun 16, 2006

  Seattle, WA, United States
Friday, June 16, 2006

M: As we flew back into Seattle, I kept whining, it's over. We're all finished. The green of spring here rose up to meet us and I thought, it's back to real life, back to everything we left behind. But so much has changed. Seattle is different. The little bits of day-to-day living that none of us think of as being all that much different from one moment to the next make a difference. It's like being a visitor all over again only weirder because I supposedly live here.

In the scheme of things, 6 months is a short time. But so much has changed here. Friends and family have gotten married, moved, had children, changed jobs, gotten sick and then well, bought houses, had large professional successes, experienced major life events. So, it feels like we've been gone forever. But as we start to review photos and the stories about our trip begin to trickle out, it feels like the time we spent in each place was so small, so short and precious. The strange pull of opposition of those two sentiments is part of the re-entry process.

It's funny what travel does and what it teaches. For me, I find there are moments that are changed. I've learned that cicadas make deafening amounts of noise and that squat toilets aren't as gross as port-a-potties (J: and you found that out more quickly than you had planned, no, Miss?). That people around the world will shock you with their generosity (even your close friends) and that learning a word or two in another language can make a huge difference. I've learned that I prefer train to bus and really spicy food is delicious.

I've learned that Jessie is a natural on the surfboard and with little Indian children and that she possesses a unique ability to engage with people with whom she might not share a common language. Her insights on women's issues and the questions of justice and freedom are invaluable. She accepts differences in cultural norms, but refuses to be anyone other than Jessie. Ever. She never makes apologies for who she is or what she believes; never stops the quest for a world where equality and justice mean more than anything else. People were drawn to Jessie throughout the trip and why not? She's absolutely hilarious, tremendous amounts of fun, up for any adventure and she has that curly hair that astounded so many.

I've relearned that travel is hard because it brings out the most stressful situations and both the best and worst of people. Not to mention it's exhausting, but I can't imagine a better way to understand the world in which we live. Nor would I hesitate to do it again (although, I would recommend looking closely at the weather before embarking on any trips), especially if I could go with Jessie.

J: So things we've learned, huh? Where to begin...reminders of privilege I think will always spring up as long as I spend time out of the immediate comforts of my life, and I hope they do. From simple things like toilet paper in bathrooms to friends and family who love us unconditionally, clean drinking water and grass to run barefoot through (M: Ooh, yeah, clean places for naked feet) to being able to take the time and save the money to take a trip as amazing as this one. There were times when six months seemed like forever and then times when I couldn't believe another week had already passed us by.

I learned a lot about my own tolerance and patience (stop laughing, Mom) as well as Missy's. I envy her lack of inhibition -- her ability to pick up at any given moment and move forward, whether nervous or shy or embarrassed, I didn't see it. She is always eager to ask questions and inquire about the unknown. Her insightfulness and thirst for knowledge became ever more clear as we traveled to places I thought neither of us knew much about. I tend to forget that Missy has an International Relations degree and retains more information about history and politics than I ever will. She was often able to shed light on subjects that I knew nothing about. It is quite astounding, actually.

And then there was Missy's energy. How is it that it never waned? I never realized how much of Mom's "vacation" blood really flowed through her. If you've ever experienced vacation with our mom then you have a full understanding of the concept of needing a vacation after your vacation. She really knows how to pack in the activity. And I think maybe, just maybe Missy took it to a whole new level. Just kidding. What I mean to say is that Missy truly took advantage of our time away. Through the impossible heat and rainy days I could probably count the number of "down" days that we had on both hands. As exhausting as it sometimes felt I am overly grateful for how much Missy pushed us (even though I may have expressed otherwise at the time) to see as much as we could physically handle and fit into a day. And I am happy to say that I will never look back on this trip and play the "I wish we had..." game of regrets.

So would I do anything different if I had it to do over? Nope, not unless I could have controlled the weather. Would I do it again? I would definitely travel with Missy again. Would I spend another six months bouncing around nine countries? Not likely. But really this is because I would rather have the opportunity to spend more time in places getting a greater glimpse of the people, their country, and their culture. I would like to spend time volunteering (M: I couldn't agree with this more) in some of the countries we visited, but to do so requires more than a few days in one location. Instead we were tourists/travelers and I have no regrets.

Now we move into the next phase of life...pursuing graduate/professional degrees. I kept thinking all trip how intriguing I find it that our professional interests have gone from being completely unrelated to slowly morphing into something quite similar (M: Who ever would have guessed that?!). We are both concerned about health, globally, although different realms of the field. How we want to be involved is different and ever evolving. Our time away sparked various conversations on the state of health, health care, and practice around the world and for me just peaked my interests more. Until classes begin, I plan on enjoying as much of the beautiful Seattle summer as I possibly can. And if any of you find yourselves out our way, there is an empty futon and two sisters who would be more than happy to show you our city.

M: Thank you a million for being supportive of this trip. From e-mails to reading the blog to encouragement before we left. Coming back to our friends and family was the easiest part of the end. And now, we gleckel on to grad school...

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