Home.

Hello and Happy Near Year to you all!

I hope 2013 is starting off wonderfully, and that you’ve had some time to relax and enjoy the holidays with friends and family before getting back into the work world again.

I’m sorry, but this is another post mostly about me, since I can’t really teach anyone about what to do or see in Minnesota. (Although if you’re bored, I just discovered there is a Wikipedia page entitled “Minnesota Culture.” Give it a read, it’s great.) More like I need other people to teach me about how to live in the US again – I kind of feel like I lived in a cave for two years, missing out on things like what a Blu Ray disc really is, references to recent commercials and TV shows, how to eat gluten free, and my personal favorite – being able to check out books from the library online to read on a Kindle app. How did I not know that?! Luckily I still remembered how to drive, though two years away from the wheel seems to have turned me into a more cautious driver (I’m sorry Emily, I know I was responsible for getting you to the church to get ready for your wedding, but I wasn’t about to pull out in front of traffic that was coming at us way too fast on an icy road. You still made it.)

I’m just finishing some things up back here in Mankato (at Caribou Coffee, of course) before I take off again on Monday for three months – this time I’ll head to a few countries in South America for about five weeks worth of a whirlwind backpacking adventure with a friend of mine, then I’ll hop up to Costa Rica to spend some time with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandparents, and I’ll spend my last month in a different part of Costa Rica teaching English in about four or five area public schools as an assistant volunteer. I’ll return to Minnesota in April for a wedding, then take off again shortly after for a summer in South Africa.  It’s hard to say what I’m most looking forward to, though I’ve been asked a lot, so instead of answering that question I’ll just say that I’m going to try as hard as possible to appreciate each and every moment of every day, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. Yes, that goes for unfortunate bathroom situations as well – speaking of, I’m almost back to following the normal rules, so it must be time to take off again. If you don’t get that at all, check back to the end of my post about Bali that refers to Asian bathrooms.

Resuming my role as big sister.

But besides being overjoyed to tears at using normal bathrooms again, I’ve actually had an emotional roller coaster of feelings the past two months – being home has affected me more deeply and profoundly than I could have ever imagined. It’s been a necessary learning and growing experience, with the most important lesson being I can plan out as much of my life as I want…but I can’t plan for how these experiences and interactions will affect me.  From Thanksgiving to Christmas, a good friend’s wedding to New Year’s, and a bunch of random road trips around Minnesota and Wisconsin, I’ve had the most wonderful opportunity to catch up and see just about everyone I wanted to see, and even reconnected with some unexpected old friends. I really have to credit my friends for still sticking with me even though I basically deserted them for the past two years – thanks you guys, for making time for me and picking up right where we left off. I was reminded of how many amazing people I was lucky enough to look up to, be supported by, and surround myself with while growing up – people like old coaches and teachers, my numerous ‘second families,’ and all my friends and family. I love all of you, and thank you for making my time at home unforgettable. You’re making it even harder to leave this time around, but I promise I won’t be gone as long this time. 

Reunited in our home country.

Lambeau Field, Green Bay.

When I tried to explain my crazy life to people back home (their words, not mine) I liked to describe the two months at home as ‘phase 2’ of my travel year – and I think I can actually justify that due to all of the traveling I did while home. I went back and forth between Rochester and Mankato numerous times, and enjoyed some time in uptown Minneapolis, where it seems half of my graduating class has now relocated to and are now working ‘real jobs.’ I explored some new places that I had never been, such as Merrill, Wisconsin, and I spent some time in Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, MN to visit Sara and finally meet her family (we enjoyed telling everyone that America was now our fourth country together.) On the experience level, I went to my first professional football game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and stood up at one of my best friend’s weddings. I also beat my family at Monopoly. It just goes to show that you can always have new, exciting, meaningful experiences no matter where in the world you are. Don’t take anything for granted, people. And just to leave you with one last cliche, it has to be said, something that I realize now more than ever: There's no place like home. 

Sunset over Mankato, Bluff Park

Feel free to send me an e-mail or Facebook message here and there – I’d love to hear from you! Here are some final impressions being home has made on me:

Top Five Reality Checks of Returning to the United States.

5. Getting carded at a bar.

4.  Leaving tips at a restaurant.

3. Driving over the medians when making left turns in Wisconsin.

2. Going to Wal Mart. There's really no place like it anywhere in the world. 

1. Noticing just how distinct, and slightly distracting, the Minnesota accent really is. 

Sunset at Bluff Park, North Mankato

P.S. If you remember, when Sara and I separated in Thailand last September, I was off to Cambodia on the same day she was heading to Tanzania for three months of living and volunteering in a local village. When we reunited in January, she shared her experience with me. She ended up unexpectedly teaching English in a nearby school, where the students drastically outnumbered the teachers, so much so that most of the older students were acting as teachers to the younger ones. She said they were "so hungry for knowledge," but the reality for most of her students is that they aren't able to afford the cost of attending school beyond just a few years, which means their futures are limited. She decided that she had to continue helping her students after her trip ended, so upon her return she set up a scholarship fund with the hopes to raise money to help support her students to attend school longer, in order to graduate and get jobs. She has ensured that as much of the donation as possible will directly fund the students at her school, thanks to a nonprofit organization based out of Minneapolis. I encourage you to read the link if you're interested. 

www.kscholarshipfund.org