THE WRAP UP...

My bad. I got back over a week ago and never started/finished the final blog. It's been a big week since I last checked in:
I am now a Fres-yes resident. My last night in the 1st street house was the 31st. So I've spent the time packing, cleaning, moving, cleaning, stuffing a storage unit full of stuff (probably beyond capacity), cleaning, and tried to get settled. Then I got a call to work a temporary job back up in the bay area so I'm sitting in Pleasant Hill, near Concord (yay Chu!), waiting for all te technical stuff to get set up. Luckily this is giving me a chance to finish my last update. What is it saying that I have to go to work to get a break long enough to update my blog. Odd...

So here we go back to my flight on July 24th. We were slightly delayed leaving Madrid, but no more than an hour. It wasn't a big deal for me because I had a 6-hour layover in Atlanta so I wasn't freaking out like everyone else. I sat next to a woman who worked for the FBI and had been stationed in Madrid. She had interesting stories but also knew when to stop talking. She was the perfect seat-mate!!

After the jetlag from my ride to Madrid, 6 hours "naps" in the middle of the day, I was determined to do better. My plan was simple: don't sleep until I got home. That meant staying awake from 2am-midnight California time. I was able to stay awake the whole MAD-ATL flight and kept myself busy walking around and making phone calls during my layover. During this time I got to rediscover how my phone works! I forgot my email automatically updates, was excited to make a non-skype phone call, and loved downloading podcasts with no Internet connection. It was a small thing, but was funny to see what I had forgotten already!

Oh yeah, back to landing in Atlanta and even just boarding a U.S. bound plane. It was crazy how I suddenly understood all the conversations people were having around me...and a little irritating. I got through customs in about an hour with no problems or random searches. While people were calm for the most part there was this energy in the room that hinted at the panic just below the surface. This was especially apparent during the last stop when people dropped their bags off for the next flight, nothing more than throwing it onto a pile to be whipped off to who knows where, and quickly ushered into different lines. People got separated and did the half-walk/run thing. I felt like cattle being led to the slaughter house. Luckily we were just being delivered to the U.S.! :) After I made it through the last checkpoint I had a huge wave of emotions roll over me: relief, joy, and so many more.

Back to my plan and the ATL-SFO flight. We loaded up and were also delayed, but I didn't care because I was going home!!! At this point nothing really bothered me, except hearing all the words/conversations!! I'm better now but seriously, we talk a lot!! :)
We loaded up and I made my way to my seat which was occupied by a tween girl. She was trying to swoop on my window seat!! I let her know that was my seat and got ready for the last leg of my trip. I have to admit that I did fall asleep a few different times on this flight, but it wasn't on purpose. It was one of those head nodding, fighting sleep movements that toddlers and babies do. Eventually the sleep won, but not for long. Overall I think I did a pretty good job!

I landed in SF a little before midnight with a huge smile on my face. I walked down to collect my bag and was greeted by Sonet who was holding a "welcom 2 amurica" sign!! It totally caught me off and guard made me laugh. We got my bag, she was impressed that I was able to lift that sucker and put it on my back, and went outside. Maria, Pepper, and Peanut were all waiting for me. The crew!

I hadn't had much to eat all day so I convinced them to go to El Grullense for some Mexican food!! Yes!!! It was fantastic. Then we went back and I crashed. I woke up and hit the ground running. We had a moving BBQ on Saturday. I had brunch with Mom and Sally on Sunday. Went to Merced for the birthday celebration on Tuesday and then moved out Friday. Luckily my plan seemed to work. I haven't had to take any naps or passed out at random hours.

Overall I'm really glad I took the trip. I learned a lot about myself and about you guys. I was pleasantly surprised by the support and feedback I got from so many of you. I loved seeing new places and visiting sites I'd only seen on TV/movies or read about. Meeting new, incredibly random people just added that much more to the experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

People have asked me what city or place was my favorite to visit but it's really hard to narrow it down to just one thing. Some of my highlights include:
Paris at night
Madrid's winding streets
The amazing history of Rome
Getting lost in Venice
My night at the Nice train station
Hitting the beaches
The beautiful train rides
Walking more than I have ever walked in my life just because I could!

And...coming home to realize how much I appreciate where I come from, despite all our problems, and love the people in my life.

Thanks for taking the time to follow me on my journey. Look for the blog
for my next trip as soon as I find a job to support this new habit!!

Until next time...