It's now December 4th, just over two weeks before I'll be home for Christmas. I'm counting down the days until I leave, instead of 'till Christmas. I'm excited and thrilled to see my family and friends, but at the same time sad to be leaving the life and friends I've made here behind.
It will be very different when I'm home because a lot has changed, including myself. I can't wait to get off the plane in Phoenix and meet my new niece for the very first time and see my sister as a new mom, or see the lights on my brother's house for Christmas and hear my nephew tell me he loves me for the first time in person (when I left he wasn't speaking, and now every time I'm on the phone with my brother he gets on to talk to me). I can't wait to sit with my parents in their family room in front of the Christmas tree and share in new conversations about the experiences I've had (very different from trying to talk at least once a week over skype with its unpredictable connection). And of course I can't wait to see Erin. So much has happened in the past few months since I've last seen her, and although a year has passed since we've lived together and our subtle differences have really developed, we haven't grown apart.
At the same time I'm excited to step off the plane to see my family, I'm also scared to get on that flight. When I told a friend here that I was sad to be leaving, he responded everything has it's end, but I find that hard to accept. Even if you aren't a believer, everything doesn't have an end, evolution tells us that life continues, although changed, and science tells us nothing is ever destroyed or lost.
I think I'll keep that in my mind as I board the plane to fly home, scared of what might come, but confident that nothing ever ends. The experiences I've had here and the friends I've made will always be a part of me, because they've changed me.....just as those few months I spent in El Salvador did two years ago, that experience is still as strong a part of my life as it ever was.
Lots of love,
Katie
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1 comment:
Hi Katie,
I saw your blog. Right now my son and his girlfriend are in Cuzco and she is very sick with fever, diarrhea, etc. They need to find a hospital and contacted me to help find one. Where did you stay that you got good care? Thanks.
Sharon Daley
Cape Cod MA
508-432-4481 or daleyfam1@mac.com (james is my son at the gmail account but not close to a computer)
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