A traveller's lament

Marc and I are heading home to Canada tomorrow after more than a year of being away. We both can't believe how quickly this year has gone and that our time away has come to an end. While we are both very happy to go home and see our families and friends and our DOG!!!!!!, we are also a bit sad about what the end of this trip means.

Whilst (they use that term a lot here in England, I think I like it as a bit of a change from while because two whiles in close approximation is quite enough thank you very much!) we have been both in Kenya and travelling we have learned a lot about ourselves as individuals as well as as a couple. (Like the fact that Marc REALLLLLLY REALLLLLLY likes green army pants. I knew he liked them before we left but now I realize how much he loves them. I think he has had a pair longer than we have been together. Sadly I thought the wearing of the army pants would be over when we got home but Marc just reminded me that he has three more pairs. UGH!!) I have learned that I can do a lot more things than I previously thought I could do, I can handle much more than I expected to be able to handle. Being in Kenya did not overwhelm me like I thought it would and instead brought out an adventerous side of me that I quite enjoy. Travelling in other countries really opened me up to other cultures and religions and ways of life and definitely made me realize the vastness and diversity of our planet while at the same time realizing how small the world really is and at the core we humans are all the same.

We have been very lucky to have been able to see so many countries and cultures on this trip and be completely free of schedules and responsibilities for the last four months. This is where the lament part comes in. (Yes I know all of you at home have been working since December and look at our blog and see us laying on the beach or traipsing up a mountain and inwardly groan because you wish you could not be at work and laying on a beach drinking a fun beach drink. So if you are a jealous type please stop here . . . ) Coming home means responsibility, it means schedule, it means REAL LIFE! And whilst (hee hee) real life also means seeing family and friends, it means a change in lifestyle that both Marc and I are a bit unsure of right now. We realize that you cannot travel forever and in fact it is a bit unhealthy but we are not sure how we will handle getting back into the swing of things. (What!!! I have to walk a dog! You take out the garbage, I took it out yesterday!) We know it will come with time but we may be a bit grumpy adjusting.

BUT, to end on a positive note .. we have most definitely had the trip of a lifetime!! We have seen and experienced sights, sounds, smells, tastes that I never knew existed and are coming back different but better people who have learned to appreciate other cultures as well as the amazing country of Canada that we live in.

See you tomorrow, the true north strong and free!!!