at home, he's a tourist

Being home, in the United States, for an entire month, has been...difficult to describe. I mean, it feels like home. But I don't live here. I haven't seen most of my friends for an entire year. A lot of things happen in a year. People graduate from college, get jobs, move. The big changes happen. In the month that I've been back, I've been all over the East Coast...I've driven through or been in every state of New England, except Rhode Island (not even an island! Doesn't count). I've spent significant amounts of time in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey...it's been a whirlwind East Coast roadtrip. And through all of that, I've seen cousins, grandparents, friends, old roommates. I've slept on couches, futons, and beds in both apartments and houses. Unforunately, there are only three meals a day (only three opportunities to say "Do you want to grab _______?"), but I've had them all, including coffee, which I don't believe counts as a meal. Through all of this, it's been hard to keep a perspective on reality. The reality that a lot has changed, and that I wasn't here to experience it. And that it's really hard to share what you've done for an entire year in one two hour meal/beverage break. All that said, it's still much easier to connect with old friends than to make new ones. Especially if your new friends speak a different language and come from a different place. With old friends, there's a foundation and a bond that deteriorates with time, but that doesn't mean it never existed. But, like I said, things have changed. I'm visiting, and a visit is a lot different than day to day life. Who knows what would have happened had I stayed. The fights I could have had and the rifts that could have formed, and maybe the new people I could have met. There's no way to know how things played out in the infinite parallel universes in which all possibilities are being explored...no way to know except to travel to them. But this is a blog, not a Michael Crichton novel. The technology just isn't there. In the meantime, watch Star Trek, preferably Next Generation.

solo trippin' (portugal)

There are vacations you take to see interesting architecture, thought-provoking museums, historically rich monuments. And then there are trips you take to lay on a beach, eat seafood, and do very little thinking. After working the whole year (including July!) with preschool-aged children, I had little desire to see anything that wasn't an ocean. So, in the interest of my mental health, I bought a ticket to Lisbon, with a plan to go south to the beach. I didn't think much about buying a ticket for just one person. I mean, my American friends were visiting America, and my Spanish friends were working. The last thing I wanted to do was coordinate a group vacation, finding dates that worked for everyone, and ughhh. Already exhausted. So, I went alone. I planned to stay in hostels anyway, and I figured I would meet people there. Which I did. But on a side note. Are there any people between the ages of 18 and 27 left in Australia? Does the entire country come to a standstill for six months to a year to go on a backpacking trip around Europe? And, is there enough alcohol to sustain their lockstep march to self-destruction? After this trip, these are all valid concerns about the sustainability of Australia. But, I went to Portugal, and not Australia, let's move on. Since I've lived in Spain for a year, I assumed the two places would be similar. They're both on the Iberian peninsula, and the languages have a lot in common. However, Portugal was a lot different. For one, it was incredibly beautiful. I'm not saying Spain is not beautiful, but Portugal is truly stunning. In Lisbon and Sintra, the architecture was incredible, ranging from Medieval castles to Romantic palaces. And then there were the beaches and the mountains. And the tiles! Everything is covered in ceramic tiles! And I'm gushing. In my defense, I was traveling alone, so I had quite a lot of time to notice all of these things. However, this trip was not without its downsides. One, meals really suck when you travel alone. Two, there's no one to tell you when something is a terrible idea. Example: "Hey, don't take your bag in the water with you. Your camera is in there. Thats' a TERRIBLE idea." You learn something everyday.