Home: a bit of culture shock

Home again...

Funny transportation to the airport story: I took a van from the hotel to the airport in Edmonton. The van driver took one look at my bike box and informed me that it wouldn't fit in the van. I was pretty amazed by her statement, since it fits in my car, and I drive a small Saturn! I told the driver that I would put the bike box in the van, and of course had no problems doing so. I think she was just afraid that something the size of a bike box would be too heavy to lift, which of course it wasn't!

It's hard to believe that I'm really home again. It took a little getting used to staying in one place and sleeping inside after 30 days of moving almost every day. When I arrived home I was more comfortable sleeping in a tent than I was in my house. That feeling disappeared in time. Getting back to the reality of working made me think about what it would take to take some time off to travel. One of my dream trips is a cross-country trip, and since it's not likely that I'll be able to convince an employer to let me take 3 months off, I know that I'll need to be ready to quit my job. 3 months? And if I'm going to take that long, what about extending it to a year? It's something to think about. Someday...

I finally had the answer to the question everyone kept asking me. I lost 10 pounds (that I didn't really need to lose) on my trip. I thought that I was eating enough. In fact, I felt like I was eating all day. But I was burning a lot of calories. When I went to get dressed for work that first day back, I was very glad for belts! I did get back to my normal weight, but it took a couple of months. My goal for the next trip is to eat more!

I had a good laugh when I finally arrived at the office after a month off. I thought it was odd that the door to my office was closed, and I'm really sorry that I didn't have my camera with me that day. One of my colleagues had decorated my office for my return. She had borrowed stuffed animals and toys from everyone, and they were all partying in my office - open (root) beer bottles, junk food, and streamers. There wasn't even room on my desk for my computer! The party was hosted by my red dog Rover - who even left a message saying that he didn't expect me back so soon, and that he really meant to clean up!

Even though I'd like to keep going, I am home - and now it's time to dream and to plan my next trip.