“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” - Jack Kerouac
Thank you to everyone who has written and/or called these last few weeks. Today, it is exactly 6 weeks since I had my emergency surgery in Ecuador. I'm at my folks' place in St. Paul now and feeling better and better everyday, but it takes a lot longer than I would like to heal 100%, after a major surgery like the one I had. I've been going a little stir crazy, but overall, it's good to be back. Being with my parents in their quiet home has been a great buffer for returning to the USA, and seeing my sister and her family so often has been a real treat. Unfortunately, I have to hold myself back from picking up the kiddos and rough housing, but they have been very understanding about why their Auntie is such a fuddy-duddy these days.
The most immediate thing we noticed upon returning home was that it was just too freaking cold! Our bodies have been used to tropical weather for the last 9 months, so flying into MSP was a shock. But, we're getting used to the weather here. On sunny days it even feels warm. It's been amazing to watch spring shape into summer these last few weeks. When we arrived, it was cold, the trees were bare, the hardened ground had just begun to break open and unleash the sprouts longing for sun. Now, the trees are covered in green, the grass is freshly seeded and lush, and those tiny sprouts are fully grown tulips, peonies, iris.
"A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” - Moslih Eddin Saadi
I saw a specialist here in MN, and he seemed to think all was going as it should be in the recovery, so that was a relief to hear. I have to stay away from certain foods, no sit ups for 6 more weeks, no heavy lifting...things you might expect within a recovery period. I'm hoping I'll be able to do a little bit more as time goes on, maybe even wakeboard and ski in a few weeks!
I'm thankful and amazed that I was so lucky, considering the possible outcomes. I haven't really had a chance to face the reality of a near death experience. I'm sure it will be a process of acceptance and reflection as I come to terms with the whole thing. When your body betrays you, you feel your most...human. But, I still hold the drive to learn, to explore, to challenge myself! That's why I'm going to attempt to go to Nicaragua at the end of June for the program with which I was supposed to finish the trip. I think participating in the Center for Global Education program will do good things for my mental and emotional recovery. Got to get back on that horse, even after such a scary fall!
“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese
Andy is currently in Nicaragua, so I'm hoping he will post his own entries regarding that trip. He is with the Center for Global Education studying environmental justice and sustainability with a group of about 20. He doesn't know exactly what he'll be doing for employment upon return to Seattle, so we're hoping this trip will prove to be an advantage for him in more ways than one. If anyone has any ideas, we're taking suggestions! However, I just got some good news; I just found out that I DO have a job upon return. I'll be back at Lake Washington High School but just don't know what I'll be teaching yet. With all the cuts to the state educational budgets, I'm pretty lucky to simply be employed. And after all my health issues lately, everything is really kind of relative. I'm happy to be alive!
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
I'm not sure travelling "around the world" answered all of my questions, but it sure was an adventure and a break from the realities of home, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. No regrets, even after the really scary medical emergency. We talked about what we might do differently, if there ever was a "next time", and we decided we would want to stay somewhere in particular for a longer period of time. The way we travelled over the course of this year, we saw SO MUCH in a small amount of time! But, we were always on the move, constantly adapting to new cultures, people, and places. And that got exhausting. However, now, we have some great ideas of where we'd like to return someday. And I love being reminded of how small the world really is, how connected we all really are, and how important it is to love your life right now.
Thanks again for all your positive thoughts. Happy summer; by the time you read this it will probably be time to dust off the backpacks and head up the mountain.
Peace and sunny days,
Lis
