Re-Entry: Returning Home and One Year Later

The realization of "oh my God, it's over" came as we sat at the Sprint store browsing Blackberry models and walking out with new smart phones and phone numbers. Luckily for a good couple weeks, hardly anyone knew to call or email so we were able to slowly get back "online" (and it took me quite awhile to figure the darn thing out - Eric, of course was an instant tech pro).

The realization of how much time we had actually spent together (and how much we really grew to love each other's constant company) came when we parted ways for 2 hours while Eric went to a movie and I went to have lunch with my cousin. As we said our temporary goodbyes, it dawned on us that it'd been months since we'd spent this much time apart.

Thankfully, we had a few weeks to readjust. The first we spent with my family and friends in Colorado/Wyoming. Then we had a long 18-hour drive back to California. Dad generously gave us his 1990 Lexus (which, despite its 240,000 miles, still runs like a charm) and then we bought my friend Lorri's 2000 Honda. My beloved purple Saturn went to my mom for "safe keeping" - she couldn't bear to see us part with it for sentimental reasons.

Back in California, after catching up with Eric's family and our friends, we set about finding a place to live. Eric's little sister, now at Standford, graciously let us move into her room until we got situated. We were delighted to find a spacious 2-bedroom duplex with a sizable backyard, patio and space for a garden. It was a lot of fun unpacking the stuff we had shipped home to decorate our house - it's almost become a museum of our travels. I also took great pleasure in planting our first garden with the help and instruction of my mom (it was something I really wanted to do after realizing that in many parts of the world, they actually know where their food comes from). And then we had some work to do to prepare for our US wedding reception, which Eric's mom Jean so lovingly and amazingly organized. In our "extra" time, I gradually began to start working back at Blue Beyond Consulting and Eric started looking for his next career move. Suffice it to say that June was a hectic, but very enjoyable and exciting month.

Once we finally got settled, the challenge was adjusting back to "normal" life. Eric's networking and job pursuit has led him to the field of alternative energy. Specifically, working for a start-up company on building a solar farm and doing some advising on other projects. He's very passionate about this new venture and the timing couldn't be better with the nation's focus turning to clean, renewable energies. Keep your fingers crossed he will make the big bucks and fund our future travel sabbaticals. I have been working primarily with our client Juniper Networks on their Internal Communications and HR teams (with some great people) and also for a non-profit called FLOW on a program around "Accelerating Women's Entrepreneurship." Since our return, we've both learned a lot and make good progress in our careers.

Now, I would be remiss if I didn't admit to suffering a good amount of culture shock. After a year abroad having had so many incredible and eye-opening experiences, with exposure to such a diversity of lifestyles and circumstances, it's impossible to come home and NOT feel a little out of place. While Eric seemed to roll with it and adjust a bit quicker, it has taken me a lot more time. The first few months back I found particularly difficult and certainly had my fair share of ups and downs. Even now, while I am fully back in the swing of this "American life," I find myself occasionally nostalgic - missing the constant new experiences and stimulation, the cultures and people, the truly breathtaking places, and the sense of freedom and total possibility.

After a trip like this, you find that you change in a variety of ways. Some changes are obvious and become a part of how you life your life every day. For example, we have become more mindful of waste and how we consume. When the weather permits, I now dry my clothes on the clothesline I installed in the backyard. We enjoy our garden and growing our own food. We are more planful in how we grocery shop and plan our meals so that we waste less. And we've hardly been clothes shopping at all. After living out of a backpack for a year with a very limited wardrobe, you come home and look at the closet full of clothes and realize that the phrase "I don't have anything to wear" takes on a whole other meaning. I figure if I could live an entire year with 5 outfits, I can certainly make do for now with what I have in my sizable closet. In many parts of the world, people only have two or three outfits and just change them out every few days for washing. Not that I'm saying I only want 2 outfits, but it does make you realize that what we think we need, and what we actually need, are two entirely different things. Let's see...what else have we internalized...I do have to proudly report that we've gotten better about keeping in shape - it does of course help that the gym is walking distance. But we also have started taking a lot more hikes and walks. And we've gotten out a lot more to explore in our regional area, and in addition, committed to taking at least one international trip (or more, finances permitting of course) every year.

And then there are other changes you experience once home, more subtle things that you can't quite put your finger on, but that you know are different. These are the things that bubble up over time, or the little things that pull at you but you can't entirely pinpoint exactly what it is or what it means. Personally, I'm still trying to decipher and figure out what some of those learnings/insights/changes are all about. More so than before, I find myself churning and seeking clarity about my passions, my purpose and how I want to guide my life. What is most meaningful, where my core values fit in and how they are prioritized at various times. It's these kinds of deeper, underlying insights that emerge slowly over time. And it's with time and distance that you have the perspective to better understand what it means and how it will impact your life in the long term. I'd love to report that I've made great progress in figuring it out, but must admit that I'm still working through the process of reflection and personal growth to get clarity.

Every now and then, we pull a journal from the shelf to read about what we were doing one year ago on that day. It brings back fond memories and reminds us of the lessons we picked up along the way. We've also plastered the door in our kitchen with a collage of our trip photos and often admire our adventure over breakfast and talk about our fondest memories. Some of you might be wondering if I still plan to get around to writing a book. Sadly, I must admit little progress as I've found myself sucked into work and life. That being said, I still have the aspiration to do something more meaningful with the experiences from our adventure - I just need to figure out if that's a book, or if it comes in a different format/forum. I do have to say looking back at this blog, I feel quite proud of the stories we were able to share in both words and pictures. This is certainly a treasure we will cherish all our lives. And we are grateful that so many of you have shared in our experiences through this format.

In closing, we are both so incredibly grateful for the opportunity (and the support of family and friends) to leave our everyday lives to truly experience "living in the moment" in so many incredible places. We have been blessed to have met so many wonderful friends along the way, to have seen such beauty, and to have experienced such a variety of things - from elephant riding to hiking Patagonia, scuba diving to getting married with the sand between our toes. Just awesome. We hope that one day, one year, we will be able to do it all again!