Three Months Later

Well, I can hardly believe it but it's been almost three months now since I left Adelaide.  I clearly remember saying goodbye to Danni and Teigan at the Adelaide Airport and how unreal it felt getting on that plane and leaving Adelaide.  What was even more unreal, though, was coming home.  I couldn't help but smile seeing the sign in Los Angeles that said "Welcome to the United States" and when I walked past the Dunkin Donuts at Logan Airport, I thought: "I'm back."  It all really hit home, though, when I saw my mom and brother waiting for me just past the security checkpoint.  That was what I had been waiting for.  Hugging them for the first time in over a month and a half was just beyond words.  When my cousin popped out from behind a pillar and ran over to me, that really capped it off.  I was truly back, and I couldn't have been happier.

I'm back

I left Adelaide with a heavy heart, and anyone who read my last blog entry from Australia probably saw that.  I'll admit: my eyes weren't exactly dry as I typed up that entry on my last night in Adelaide.  But my eyes have dried and my head has cleared.  I re-read all of my posts the other day and was able to put myself back in my shoes and relive all the joys and excitements of my trip: everything from playing footy with the Year 4's to watching the Lion King with the Year 2's, from seeing the World's Biggest Rocking Horse to holding a koala. 

This trip was truly both life-changing and life-affirming, and on so many different levels.  It really opened my eyes to the fact that there's a lot more to the world than my little corner of Massachusetts.  But I also know that as much as I love being able to venture out into the world, I can never deny my New England roots, and I would really never want to.  This trip taught me a lot about myself and how I can still be myself even on the other side of the world.  I learned a lot about my faith, and how I can live out a Christian life beyond the walls of Campus Ministry at PC, how I can rely on and serve God in so many ways out in the world.  Above all of these things, though, my trip taught me how much I love to teach and work with kids.  The students I worked with at Blackfriars really made my trip what it was, and they showed me that I want to go into teaching (hopefully back at Blacks someday!).

My time in Adelaide was truly unforgettable.  Not only do I have reminders of it all around me in the form of Australian flags and koalas on the wall, but it seems to have imprinted itself in my mind as well.  I still look up into the trees every now and then, hoping to catch a glimpse of a koala.  And every time I see a deer crossing sign, I secretly hope to see the shape of a kangaroo on it instead.  A lone tree in a field reminds me of the gum trees I saw all over Adelaide, and my ears are always searching to pick up an Australian accent to remind me of my folks Down Under. 

But then again, I still get excited when I can order a medium regular at Dunkin Donuts without having to guess what it might be, or try to explain what I think coffee is supposed to be like.  When I can call my family without having to guess what time it is on the other side of the world, or hop in the car and drive down 495 (on the right side of the road), it's one of those great reminders that I'm back home.

As I continue to reflect on everything that has happened since May 26th when I first left for Australia, it's still hard to believe.  All of that actually happened!?  But it did.  And I am so grateful for that, and so blessed to have had the opportunity that I did.