We’ve travelled to South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda. We’ve flown through MSP, AMS, JNB, CPT, LVI, LUN, DAR, ZNZ, JRO, ADD, KGL and ATL. We’ve attempted to learn some Afrikaans, Pemba, Tonga, Nyanja, Swahili, Amharic, Kinyarwanda. We’ve spent Rand, Kwacha, Malawian Kwacha, Schillings, Birr, Francs and Ugandan Shillings. And now, we are headed back home to Denver, DIA, English and Dollars.
I’m excited to be heading home, but saddened that our journey is ending. I’ve got a sinking feeling in my gut right now as we’re approaching DIA, like a weight that’s making me aware of the enormity of what we’ve experienced. I have tons of excitement for what’s next but a sadness that what we’ve experienced is over today and we can’t go back and do it again. It’s hard to know that you can’t repeat experiences, whether it’s an experience you want to change or like in this case just one you want to relive, you can’t ever go back. The world goes madly on.
It’s hard to understand what an experience will mean for you, kind of like it’s hard to understand things about your own personality or your own tendencies. For that reason, it’s trust really that compels you to go. You trust that spending two months in a new place, experiencing things that range from exciting, to heart-breaking, to joyful, to confusing, to fun, to uncomfortable, will affect your life in some meaningful way. I’m not going to force myself to contrive certain feelings or try to work to summarize our trip so that it’s easy to answer, “how was it?” I’m just going to let the question be a long answer and let the conversation begin and/or continue with those who we share life with.
We’ll be adding material to and editing the blog stateside for the next few weeks. I’ve got a handful of drafts that I want to add but more importantly my amazing photograph taking wife has lots of images she’ll be working through and we’ll add some of our favorites as well.
We’re back!
I’m excited to be heading home, but saddened that our journey is ending. I’ve got a sinking feeling in my gut right now as we’re approaching DIA, like a weight that’s making me aware of the enormity of what we’ve experienced. I have tons of excitement for what’s next but a sadness that what we’ve experienced is over today and we can’t go back and do it again. It’s hard to know that you can’t repeat experiences, whether it’s an experience you want to change or like in this case just one you want to relive, you can’t ever go back. The world goes madly on.
It’s hard to understand what an experience will mean for you, kind of like it’s hard to understand things about your own personality or your own tendencies. For that reason, it’s trust really that compels you to go. You trust that spending two months in a new place, experiencing things that range from exciting, to heart-breaking, to joyful, to confusing, to fun, to uncomfortable, will affect your life in some meaningful way. I’m not going to force myself to contrive certain feelings or try to work to summarize our trip so that it’s easy to answer, “how was it?” I’m just going to let the question be a long answer and let the conversation begin and/or continue with those who we share life with.
We’ll be adding material to and editing the blog stateside for the next few weeks. I’ve got a handful of drafts that I want to add but more importantly my amazing photograph taking wife has lots of images she’ll be working through and we’ll add some of our favorites as well.
We’re back!
Well said.
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