Sitting in another airport...in the U.S.A.!!!!

It’s about 6: 20 a.m. as I’m sitting here in the DFW airport recounting this whirlwind adventure as it is finally concluding.

Before I start rambling once again though, I would like to say THANKS so much to all of you that have been keeping up with my blog. Chances are, I have been able to appreciate the things I have seen and learned about in the past two and half months because of the way my interactions with each of you have shaped my life. Also, I just want to brag on my parents. Thanks Dad and Mom, for showing me the world. Thank you also for never holding me back from doing, dreaming, creating and seeing… (Also, thank you for sparing me my life after I left a trail of my very important belongings strewn across parts of the Mediterranean.)

Back to the life shaping aspect of this “Voyage of Discovery”, I have noticed some changes in myself while being back in the U.S.

I never want to meet a stranger.. Although I can appreciate the individualistic nature of everything “American,” I will now make it a conscious effort to find common ground with more people. Chances are the most different people in the world have some common ground. ---We have a lot to learn from each other..

Another thing that my parents have tried drilling into my head my whole life that I’m just now truly starting to understand is that all you can do is live in the moment. (Yes Father, I admit you were right.) You can’t change the past, and you can’t control the future. Make the most out of every situation you are in. ---After losing my debit card in Spain and cell phone in Rome, I thought my life was over. Little did I know, it was one, among many of the learning experiences I had on this trip as well as one of the most liberating. If you want to really embrace your surroundings, get rid of a few outlets for a while. Eat dinner without the distraction of your cell phone and fully engage in a conversation. Go grab coffee with someone to talk instead of texting. I hadn’t realized how much physical, human interaction had been stifled by technology in the U.S..

I’m laughing to myself thinking about my gentle reintroduction back into the U.S…..I hadn’t realized until I got on my first flight in Virginia that my taxi driver, the flight attendant, and the woman making my “Peanut Power” smoothie all had some type of very heavy accent. Thank goodness for my newly acquired non-verbal communication skills and keen sense of hearing.

Finally, I want to say “I’ll see you down the road,” to my fellow SASers.. You’re the best. I’ll miss you all dearly.

I could go on and on about how much I have learned that I didn’t know before this trip and how much I have discovered I still do not know… But, I think I will diverge...I’m off to buy a latte while I wait for my flight.. It’s good to be back!