That's All She Wrote

    9 months ago, I was boarding a flight to Sri Lanka as a complete mixed bag of emotions feeling unsure as to what I was getting into and starting to second-guess why I had felt so compelled to up and leave home - my comfort zone. My first week at the Millennium Elephant Foundation furthered my feeling of uncertainty, as there I as, living in a very foreign country, no one I knew remotely close by AND I was surrounded by 9 wild animals, at all times. Fortunately, all of those feelings started shifting and soon I was feeling very comfortable in this new place, had made new friends and had fallen in love with at least one of those so-called wild animals. That shift in feelings is something I continued to face as I moved from place to place, country to country but at no point did I not come out the other side feeling the complete opposite of how I had begun.

    To think this trip of a lifetime has come to an end is hard to swallow. It really feels like I blinked and am now boarding a flight to LA, just like that. But when I think about where I have been, the experiences I've had, the people I've met the things I've learned and the memories I now have, I think I packed a lot into that one blink.

    I am more interested in this world now, than I ever was. And why it is the way it is. Why we speak different languages, have different currencies, follow different customs, etc. Putting yourself in other people's world allows you to see that, I think. I have always been curious, but exploring this world has heightened that. I want to know why things are the way they are, how they've become a certain way and I try my best to seek out the answer. I have learned to embrace things. Ideas or customs that originally made me uncomfortable, I may still not see eye to eye with, or bring home with me, but I was able to accept them for what they were. For example, in most of the countries I visited, leaving your car on while you fill up with gas is normal.

    I have finally taken some of the best advice my sister has ever given me, and I read more. Which to be honest, is reading at all. Spurred by the amount of 'free time' I've had, or my feeling of being out of touch with the world, or something totally different, I'm not sure, but I'm enjoying it. I have read 7 books in the last 6 months, countless magazines, newspapers, maps, guides, brochures, reviews and articles about the places I've been. It comes as no news to the rest of you that have had this reading thing down pat for years, but the things I've learned through reading have taken the satisfaction of this trip even further.

    Like I said, I read countless reviews, blogs and advice on places to go and how to get there; some good, some bad. They were a good way to get an idea of what I wanted to do, but oddly enough, it was some of the bad reviews or horror stories that interested me more. It meant I was in for a challenge, which to me is more exciting than having an adventure that is smooth sailing all the way through. Part of why I came out here was to try new things, get lost, find my way again, be challenged and come out stronger, and more open-minded because of it.

    I owe so much thanks to my family and friends for their support throughout the last 10 months and anyone who kept up with my blog and hopefully enjoyed what I had to share, but most importantly, I feel I owe thanks to all of the people I met along the way who let me into their homes, into their temples, into their communities, always with a huge smile on their face, requiring nothing in return but that I share what I experienced. The sense of family and togetherness over here is remarkable.

    I managed to land my feet on 11 different countries, which I know is a small fraction of what this wonderful world has to offer, but it's a step. I am but a tiny pixel on this great blue and green globe and traveling has both brought that idea home and allowed me to further appreciate what I do have to be thankful for.

    My advice to anyone who is considering traveling would be to go for it. Let go of the bowlines and set sail. Sleep in trains, boats, vans, airports and on strangers shoulders. You'll be amazed what changes in your heart of hearts and what you change in the hearts of others. I went away so that I could come back. So that I could see what I call home with a different light and new colors. Coming back to what I started is not the same as never leaving.

    A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.
  


P.s. I was finally able to recover the first post I ever tried writing, that got stuck on my tablet. So, here it is :) -

    Well, safe to say my flight to London was the biggest plane I have been on. B777 Premium holding up to 450 passengers, 3 separate classes and some wonderful service thanks to United. Coming into London was beautiful. Bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky and the ability to see all of London's sights from above - The Eye, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, etc.


    I was picked up from the airport by a wonderful friend and driven into a countryside village I have only ever imagined in my mind and the movies but what turned out to be so much more. Absolutely stunning, West Horsley. The day was spent out on a long walk through the fields, eating a delicious lunch in the garden, sipping on lots of tea, driving through the equally picturesque town of Shire (from my favorite movie, The Holiday) and finally finished off with a nap before I was back off to the airport. I will be back though!
    
    The airport was complete chaos inside and out this time but I managed to make my way through security (not without a heavy search of all my belongings) and onto my gate. This time, I was boarding a Sri Lankan airlines flight, 64 rows long and settling in for an 11 hour flight. One interesting anecdote from that flight - the forward and downward cameras outside the plane that are setup and accessible through the TV channels....freaky! but kind of pretty during sunrise. Next I'll be checking in from Colombo!