The Bends
Without much pomp or circumstance, the eagle has landed. That’s right, we are back in the United States. We landed in New York on a cold spring night, complete with snow flakes, and headed to WS’s dad’s home on Long Island.
The return home has been very interesting thus far. We are not truly home home yet, which makes a big difference. We are still technically wandering, visiting relatives and traveling around the States a bit. So I can’t completely say what it is like to be home. I am sure things will be much different when I hit my own bed and enjoy my house for the first time in 18 months. Until then, we are decompressing and readjusting to life in the States.
I have to say our re-entry has been a bit overwhelming. The first day back we went to Wal-Mart and there was a point when WS and I were ready to run out the door. It was loud–really loud. In a foreign country, all the talking is mostly white noise because you do not understand. At home, you understand that the lady on the cell phone is mad her car is not ready and the guy yelling at his kids is doing just that–yelling. And, you understand all of it. It was crowded, and all that coupled with the sensory overload of all the choices were enough to make us ready to hop on a plane back to anywhere. Do they make a cultural decompression chamber?
An American size coffee is at least 3 times that of anywhere else. I had a cup of coffee and a NY bagel our first full day back with flavored creamer (my favorite) and promptly had a stomach revolt. My body was crying for a teeny tiny cup and a little breakfast, and instead I overloaded on the caffeine and carbs… Gotta get used to the Vente again. Same goes for our first meal out in the States, most of it went home in a doggie bag because the portions are huge!
We now have access to a reliable and consistent internet connection, my cell phone is up and running, and the job search is about to commence after we return home. While all of this is very exciting (well, maybe not the job part) there is still a sense of disappointment I feel with the return home. There is the let down that what I have done the last 18 months, I no longer do. I am no longer Wandering Dawn.
I feel it’s expected I summarize these last 18 months into a sound bite. I don’t expect anyone to care how I had to wait 6 hours for a train in India and all the weird things I saw in that time, but I don’t have much else to talk about either. I don’t know what movies are out, what songs are popular, or what the latest fashions are. I don’t know what is going on in my neighborhood or at my old jobs. All I know is the last 18 months were an experience of a lifetime that I do not know if I will ever be able to describe well.
So as I decompress, I have to say right now I feel like I have the bends. Bear with us as we re-acclimate to the good ol’ US of A, and reintroduce ourselves to all those things that we love about this country. We are lucky, truly lucky to live where we do and call ourselves American, we just need some time to get into the groove again.
Can someone please hand me my “People” magazine and a latte!? I gotta wash down this bagel.
Photos are here, the photo page is still not playing nicely with our blog.
Josette said:
Welcome back my dear pals! For selfish reasons I am glad you are closer and closer to returning to Florida. If your return is anything like returning from the Peace Corps, conversation about your 18 months away will be a novelty to a few people then otherwise it rarely enters the conversation. It’s not an experience most can relate to or converse about. But hey - with me talk on! I know how invaluable these experiences of life are. There is nothing like it!! You’ve got to feel so good about doing it. You made a dream come true. Welcome home!
Gillian said:
Wow, you guys return home just before we leave on our journey. You are one of the first travelers that I reached out to as we were contemplating our step. Thanks for your advice and encouragement! I hope you will continue to write about your experience as you re-enter American life - it is just as interesting as the leaving it and the other wandering that you have done.
Cheers!
Tracy said:
I have to say I was a bit sad to read the you’re back in the states. I so looked forward to reading about your adventures. I agree with Gillian and hope you continue writing about your adventures.
By the way, what made you decide to finally come back?
Wanderingdawn said:
Hi everybody, thank you for the nice comments. Tracy-we would have loved to keep going, but after 18 months we were ready for a bit of home. Although the adjusting has been harder than I thought. I was here in September for a few weeks, but I think because I was going to go back out and travel more, it was more novelty than reality. Now the reality of it is a bit harder. Also, Sean’s sister is getting married!
So we had the date of her wedding as a goal return date (with enough time to get fitted for our wedding outfits, etc).
owlsandbears said:
it makes me deeply sad to know that i will not get to read about your travels anymore - though i am somewhat comforted that there are archive posts that i have not yet read. i’ve been anonymously following your blog for months - actually from around the time that my hubby and i decided to have a year of travel of our own. we started in march and we’re still making our way around the us as a warm-up. would love it if our paths were to cross sometime and we would more than happily listen to any travel stories/ experiences you might care to relate! you are an inspiration to us. all the best to you as you return to life in the us.
nomadicmatt said:
readjusting for me was pretty hard too. its like they said in a map for saturday- u never really readjusted. life is just different.
my first culture shock was getting on the train.. iwas like woah…where did all this different people come from? i’d been used to just asians for a year….weird but that was my first im back home realization
Heather Ahrens said:
Welcome back! I am worried that I am going to have a hard time readjusting back only after a month of travel, let alone 18! We don’t leave for another few weeks but I am already thinking about what life will be like upon our return. That is the planner in me.
Cindi said:
Welcome back to the boring, crazy, wonderful world of home! Hopefully you have better luck at the job searching than we are having. I guess we should have stayed abroad! If you’re ever in Utah, let us know - we can swap stories!
Amy said:
Welcome home…I hope you continue to write about your transition back to routine life in the USA. I find the reemergence back into US culture to be fascinating, even if it is just about boring, routine things. Plus seeing someone reintegrate reassures me that if we chose to go on our trip, life can return to normal if we want it to. Good luck with your transition and have fun traveling and visiting!
Eva and Jeremy said:
It blows our mind imagining being back in the lap of convenience in the States - welcome, and enjoy it
I wonder how re-entry will treat us, I imagine a lot of the same emotions will hit. If you check back on us in 10 months, you can say I told you so.
I bet it’s even harder than you’re letting on… but, now you know just how feasible it is to travel long term. I wonder what the statistics on “once a traveler… always a traveler…” are.