Going Home?

Yes I meant to use a question mark. For a few days, 10 to be exact,  I have the wonderful opportunity to return to India where I spent last summer. 

I have such mixed feelings, I am overjoyed to return and see and experience all the things and people I loved. But I also have to experience all the hard things again. 

My friend Ian is returning with me, I am so excited to share it, but nervous too. This is a part of me, you can't understand a place until you've really experienced it. I just want people to understand one another, in our minds the "problems" are an easy fix, we see what's "wrong" and think we know a solution. But you haven't factored in men's hearts and their pride, along with years of tradition.

You can't change anything by judging it, trust me, I've tried. 

We have enough people to condemn and judge one another, we need more souls who will step up and learn to understand and love in spite of their stark difference of opinions. As kid president said "give people a high five for getting out of bed, being a person is hard sometimes".

I want to return with open arms and to return the love they have shown me with open arms. 

The more I think about it, the more I realize I am so blessed to have more then one home, more then one family and in more then one place

"you will never feel completely at home because everywhere you go you leave a piece of you behind."

Quirks I picked up traveling

*Travelling introduces you not only to a new culture but within that culture a new way of doing things... I have a few cultural quirks that have stayed with me despite being home in America.

*I can't remember if it's left right left I look or right left right before crossing the road. So I do both just to be sure.

*Same goes for reading, when people write "backwards" it doesn't seem odd.

*Even less noticeable is how a book opens. 

*Spelling and dates; I get confused between the American version and the world version
ie someone tells me their birthdate is 06/01/2000 is that January 6th or June 1st...

*Sometimes I forget to turn off the car before getting out... It's getting better.. I mean I didn't have to open car doors for 3 months, you just climbed in...

*Layovers don't scare me, nor does flying alone to a new airport

*I mix up simple phrases in various languages. Is "si" Spanish or Italian or both?? 

*Digging through my coins to find US currency is a small task...on the upside I'm set if we have any dramatic changes in the exchange rate

*On another upside my international pronounciation has been better since I can usually identify which language I am pronouncing. 

*I have a bag packed with everything but clothes and shoes... Kind of like having separated parents and you have one set at moms and one set at dad's..

*When I go shopping the first thoughts are 'How well is this going to travel?'

*Speaking of which when people compliment me on something I'm wearing, especially accessories, they know my answer will involve a place I travelled and therefore they probably wont ever get it.

*Upon purchasing anything I have to check myself on bartering...

*I am horribly aware of the lack of cleanliness...  

* I am always prepared with tissue, hand sanitizer, band aids, gum and whatever else I won't find while traveling...

* I get to public places and go to use something only to realize the lack of cleanliness and then I realize I have survived worse. 

 

 

*Sometimes I forget how things really are in America, and I get greater culture shock coming home then I did going foreign. (true story every time)

*And then I remember all the things I took for granted on my vacation. Like the abundance of spices, mango lassi and watermelon shakes for a dollar... and of course a grand adventure.

*This picture isn't the grand adventure.*