At the beginning of the trip, I was thinking that travelling the way we were for 5 months, surly Delia and I would experience changes and things at home would change. Not sure in what way I was thinking or necessarily that it would be bad or good, but just changes. Everything that we saw, things that we did & people that we met; how could we not change? .......
But to tell you the truth - everything seems the exact same as when we left. And for me that's not a bad thing. Delia & I are so lucky to have what we have & most important our friends and family. I'm glad that things are the same - I'm happy.
I still want to be a better person, daughter, sister, partner & friend, but I've always wanted that!
I will never forget this incredible journey, but it would not be possible or mean quite as much, if it were not for our absolutely amazing friends and family -I'm happy to be 'Home Sweet Home'!
December 6, 2009 to May 12, 2010.......3 continents.......6 countries.....can't wait to do our next adventure.......to be continued!
"Own only what you can carry with you; know language, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag." Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Saturday, June 4, 2011
....Back on Home Soil........
I have to admit, when you have been travelling for 5 months, it is really hard to be 'normal' around your friends and family again. People for the most part want to know if you had a good time, but they are not going to want to hear all the stories that you want to tell. They are going to want to know how it felt to be at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and what the Great Barrier Reef was like. They may even want to know about the people we met in Africa, Australia and NZ, but they are not really going to want to know how we felt on day 3 of climbing up Mt Kilimanjaro or that I was laughing my pants off at 3am in the morning in the privy tent because in the middle of peeing into a bucket, looking up at the stars I fell over, or the 'aha moment I had in Tasmania when I was wading in freezing cold water to cool off, or the incredible moment that we had on the MacKinnon Pass on the Milford Trek. .......And you know what.....we don't blame them. But the issue is that for the first few days, weeks maybe even months after your trip, we care about how we felt on day 3, etc. and we want people to care because we want to tell it, as these moments were just as memorable as it was at the top of the mountain. So, visiting friends and family in Victoria, BC was awesome, but also very hard. As much as we were bursting at the seams to tell every little story of our trip, we had to remember that there is a point of saturation....and it is alot sooner then one thinks!
Despite those feelings that popped up once in awhile, we did have a great time. During our visit with Delia's brother; Jason, his wife; Shannon and our niece and nephew; Charlotte and Jeremy we had a blast! We hung out with the kids and watched Jeremy play baseball for the first time which was really fun. Charlotte kept score and made announcements and the rest of us acted like idiots cheering. Jeremy got an RBI a walk and the team won - sweet as! We saw some of our friends in the area and generally had an awesome time. We went to visit Delia's Aunt Hilda who is 96 years old and still living on her own - amazing!
After 8 days in Victoria, BC we headed to Calgary, Alberta to again visit with friends and family. My friend; Sandra from university picked us up from the airport and we spent a few days with her, her husband; Darragh and their two wonderful children; Jason and Shannon. Sandra took Delia and I to Banff & Lake Louise. This is the first time Delia and been there and for me, it was kinda' neat to see the area with snow and to see the lake frozen. Besides, can anyone ever get tired of seeing the rockies and glacier lakes...????...not me!
After the visit with Sandra's family, Delia and I had a bit of a surprise. Before I tell the story, I want to set it up a bit. A few days prior to arriving in Calgary, I phoned my Mom to say hello and give her an update. As our trip was coming to an end and we have been away for 5 months, I knew that she was going to want to see us; sooner than later. I just wanted to warn her that it might not be right when we get home. During this conversation she was very calm and understanding and said things like, "Oh that's okay. You and Delia just get settled in and we will see you when you can." Now, for those that don't know my mother, this was very strange. If she had it her way she would see all her kids and grandchildren ALL the time! Now, I did give it a second thought, but chalked it up to her great understanding of the situation........WRONG!!!
Now, here is the story.....
Instead of heading to Olds, Alberta where my sister; Lynn and her partner Jim live, Lynn asked us to meet them at her friend's cabin in Fairmount, B.C. This is about a 3 hr drive from Calgary, if I remember correctly. This was a great surprise in itself as when I say cabin - think large log home in the mountains on the Columbia Lake which is the headwaters for the Columbia River...yes, that sweet! But once we arrived at the cabin and walked onto the deck of the cabin...out walks my Mom and Dad!!! My Mom and Dad wanted to see Lyn and Jim's new house in Olds, Alberta, so they thought they would combine a visit with them and surprise Delia and I with a visit out in west on our trip home. As much as I love travelling, and oh man do I love travelling, seeing family, especially your Mom and Dad after 5 months of travelling would leave anyone choked up. My family is everything to me and knowing they were there at home made my travels even more special. We had my Mom and Dad there, but also met Lynn's great friend; Corinne and her daughter; Bailey and of course had Lynn, Jim and their sweet dog; Zoe. A great crowd! We played games and went for some incredible walks and on the last day, Corinne took Delia and I out on the kayaks on the Columbia Lake. Although it was a little cool it was awesome! We had the mountains in the background and saw Bald Eagles, Osprey, Great Blue Herons and several different types of ducks. And even cooler then that was we saw all their babies!!!
Even though when you are on a trip like this, you try not to think of the end, but as it draws closer, it is hard not to. So as we were paddling in the kayak, on the lake, with the mountains in the background, with the absence of all sound except for nature in its purest form, the whole trip went through my mind and all I could think of was, "WOW"! And as I watched the Bald Eagles soar overhead with their babies in my homeland......I was reminded how sweet it was to have a place that you can call home and how truly amazing we have it here in Canada. I closed my eyes for a moment and pledged that I would forever enjoy every second of every journey in life!
With one leg left in our trip and that was to our front door, I will end with this blog with a saying that my friend; Sandra's son wrote for school in Japanese......
"Ima wa sekai ga marukiri jinuriai chisasugiru" - "The world is too small for us all not to get along"
The more we travelled, the smaller the world seemed to get.....and that is a good thing!
Despite those feelings that popped up once in awhile, we did have a great time. During our visit with Delia's brother; Jason, his wife; Shannon and our niece and nephew; Charlotte and Jeremy we had a blast! We hung out with the kids and watched Jeremy play baseball for the first time which was really fun. Charlotte kept score and made announcements and the rest of us acted like idiots cheering. Jeremy got an RBI a walk and the team won - sweet as! We saw some of our friends in the area and generally had an awesome time. We went to visit Delia's Aunt Hilda who is 96 years old and still living on her own - amazing!
After 8 days in Victoria, BC we headed to Calgary, Alberta to again visit with friends and family. My friend; Sandra from university picked us up from the airport and we spent a few days with her, her husband; Darragh and their two wonderful children; Jason and Shannon. Sandra took Delia and I to Banff & Lake Louise. This is the first time Delia and been there and for me, it was kinda' neat to see the area with snow and to see the lake frozen. Besides, can anyone ever get tired of seeing the rockies and glacier lakes...????...not me!
After the visit with Sandra's family, Delia and I had a bit of a surprise. Before I tell the story, I want to set it up a bit. A few days prior to arriving in Calgary, I phoned my Mom to say hello and give her an update. As our trip was coming to an end and we have been away for 5 months, I knew that she was going to want to see us; sooner than later. I just wanted to warn her that it might not be right when we get home. During this conversation she was very calm and understanding and said things like, "Oh that's okay. You and Delia just get settled in and we will see you when you can." Now, for those that don't know my mother, this was very strange. If she had it her way she would see all her kids and grandchildren ALL the time! Now, I did give it a second thought, but chalked it up to her great understanding of the situation........WRONG!!!
Now, here is the story.....
Instead of heading to Olds, Alberta where my sister; Lynn and her partner Jim live, Lynn asked us to meet them at her friend's cabin in Fairmount, B.C. This is about a 3 hr drive from Calgary, if I remember correctly. This was a great surprise in itself as when I say cabin - think large log home in the mountains on the Columbia Lake which is the headwaters for the Columbia River...yes, that sweet! But once we arrived at the cabin and walked onto the deck of the cabin...out walks my Mom and Dad!!! My Mom and Dad wanted to see Lyn and Jim's new house in Olds, Alberta, so they thought they would combine a visit with them and surprise Delia and I with a visit out in west on our trip home. As much as I love travelling, and oh man do I love travelling, seeing family, especially your Mom and Dad after 5 months of travelling would leave anyone choked up. My family is everything to me and knowing they were there at home made my travels even more special. We had my Mom and Dad there, but also met Lynn's great friend; Corinne and her daughter; Bailey and of course had Lynn, Jim and their sweet dog; Zoe. A great crowd! We played games and went for some incredible walks and on the last day, Corinne took Delia and I out on the kayaks on the Columbia Lake. Although it was a little cool it was awesome! We had the mountains in the background and saw Bald Eagles, Osprey, Great Blue Herons and several different types of ducks. And even cooler then that was we saw all their babies!!!
Even though when you are on a trip like this, you try not to think of the end, but as it draws closer, it is hard not to. So as we were paddling in the kayak, on the lake, with the mountains in the background, with the absence of all sound except for nature in its purest form, the whole trip went through my mind and all I could think of was, "WOW"! And as I watched the Bald Eagles soar overhead with their babies in my homeland......I was reminded how sweet it was to have a place that you can call home and how truly amazing we have it here in Canada. I closed my eyes for a moment and pledged that I would forever enjoy every second of every journey in life!
With one leg left in our trip and that was to our front door, I will end with this blog with a saying that my friend; Sandra's son wrote for school in Japanese......
"Ima wa sekai ga marukiri jinuriai chisasugiru" - "The world is too small for us all not to get along"
The more we travelled, the smaller the world seemed to get.....and that is a good thing!
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