Well here we are, back in Canada. We arrived on Monday afternoon from Tokyo via Portland on a very small airplane. It was quite turbulent on the way down through the clouds and I think it was our roughest flight of the whole trip! Anyhow, made it safely to Vancouver to a very rainy and miserable day. Our friend Sheila picked us up from the airport and it was nice to see her and Vancouver again. It was a very odd feeling to be back in North America. In the Portland airport, the ability to understand conversations going on around me was the first thing I noticed. It was tough not to eavesdrop though topics ranging from little David's diapers and plans for a new patio weren't all that exciting. Funny, when you are away and surrounded by different languages, the conversations always sound so important and so interesting. No doubt they were about the same kinds of things.
As far as emotions about coming home, it is difficult to say. It feels less of a shock than I was anticipating. It is great to be able to come "home" and make a cup of tea, or do a load of laundry without having to pull out the Tide bar and fill up a tiny sink. It is amazing to be back in Vancouver and see the mountains and the ocean. It was a shock to go into our storage unit (we were getting clothes and some necessities for our initial move to TO) and see how many clothes we have. Living with two t-shirts and two pairs of pants and everything else we need fitting into one bag each, it was funny to see all of our stuff sitting there waiting for us. It has been great to connect with friends and catch up on all the happenings from the year. It is nice to be able to read every sign and be very sure which washroom you are entering.
I find myself thinking of different places and different experiences frequently, but I don't really feel sad about the trip ending. I think that we were both ready to be back in Canada, and ready to restart life. It is going to be another exciting new chapter in our lives. I feel proud that we did what we did, and that we managed to keep loving each other despite moods, illness, disagreements about directions, frustrations, etc. The past ten months of moving around the world have certainly had their ups and downs -- the really good times will continue to be good and with time even the bad times will likely become good memories. All of our experiences combined to make the trip what it was. We were lucky that the trip went off without incident. We were able to connect with people in places that we couldn't even imagine before we left Canada, and that will stay with us forever. The trip was full of contrasts and those contrasts have made us think long and hard about the way we want to live our lives. All in all, it was great to be away and it is great to be home.
Thanks to everyone who read our blog along the way. It was so great to get comments and see that the people we care about were caring enough to check in once in a while. It has been fun keeping it up and we are happy to have this record of the trip. I will be posting pictures from Tokyo, just so the record is complete. Can't wait to see everyone, and share our 12,000 picture slide show (just kidding.... we wouldn't do that to you). If anyone is thinking of doing a long trip we would be happy to help convince you to go for it!
See you all soon I hope!!
Paula
xoxo
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