It's Good To Be Home

Hey friends.

I realize that the title to this blog might be a little weird. I mean, I was home about 2 weeks ago but now I'm back in Peru. So what exactly am I trying to say with this title? Well, I'll tell you. I mean it in two ways: the past tense - it was good to be home - and the present, it is good to come back to the home I've found here in Peru. So let's start with how it was good to be home in the States.

I wrote a 25 page journal entry about my trip home. Don't worry, I won't re-write it here. And since most of you, my readers, were part of my trip home at least via phone call, I don't think I need to write a whole lot about what I did. Most of you know that I was home to attend the wedding of a dear friend, practically brother, one Mr. Nathan Hubbard, in Pennsylvania. Shout out! I also took advantage of the relative near-ness to visit a special fella in Atlanta. And since the parents and the majority of other people I love are in Illinois, I was there too. What do all of these locations to visit mean? It means I didn't spend more than 2 nights in a row in one place. I flew a red eye to Atlanta, spent the day and night there and flew out the next morning to Chicago. Two days later, we hit the road to drive to Pennsylvania. Two days later we drove back to Illinois and then (ok, fine, there were 3 nights in a row) 3 days later, I flew back to Peru. And you would think, whoah, that doesn't sound relaxing at all. But I'll tell you, it was. The whole time, I truly felt that I was on vacation, worry-less and free to enjoy my time with the people around me.

So here's a top ten list of things I did, ate, drank, experienced, re-experienced during my vacation to home:

1. Nate and Laura's Wedding. I laughed, I cried, it was a good time.

2. Visiting Austin and Andy in Atlanta. Atlanta being my first American stop on the vacation, I marveled at the customer service and quantity of bacon at the IHOP, enjoyed a quality pizza at Mellow Mushroom and reveled in the amount of excellent selection of beers at the bar Battle and Brew which was hosting table top game night. Not to mention, a great time with a special fella.

3. Quality breakfasts. No one does breakfast like the United States: pancakes, waffles, bacon, sausage, sweet rolls, donuts, bagels, smoothies, brewed coffee and fresh fruit. How lucky that the hotel in Pennsylvania hosted a breakfast buffet for all guests.

4. Catching up with friends. Maggie, Nate, Sam, Jeff, Nicole, Robby, Zachary...need I say more?

5. Hot tub. Once again, lucky the hotel had one and extra lucky that on the day of the wedding, the groom and a bridesmaid could take some time to chill...brew?...in one with me.

6. Texting. Haven't done that in a while.

7. Baking. Cookies and brownies paired with excellent Oberweiss ice cream.

8. Sharing bits of Peru while home. i.e. This talk at FUMCoP.

and making Pisco Sours with Joe, Jason and mom for everyone else to enjoy.

9. Driving. Having not done it in 9 months, it surprised me how much of driving turned out to be muscle memory.

10. The availability of good beers and wines and being carded. I haven't written about it yet, but in terms of these beverages, the pickings are slim here.

11. Bike riding.

12. Summer showers.

13. Fast, reliable internet.

14. Phone calls.

15. Family.

16. Being able to exchange witty banter once again. I haven't quite mastered it in Spanish yet, and even if I did, there are some things that just don't translate.

When if comes down to it. Most of the things on that list involve being an adult. And I realize now that while I am here in Peru, it's not any of those, particular things that I miss. I don't miss my cell phone, or my bicycle, or good beer or customer service, or supermarket options, or even baking. I miss that sense of independence that comes with picking up my cell phone and texting or calling a friend to make plans for later. I miss choosing to go out for a drink and having the many options be it beer, breakfast or cheese presented to me in a respectful manner. I miss the freedom to grab my bicycle or my car keys and go where I please. And it's not the oven I miss, it's the fact that baking is an excuse to play hostess to my friends. As anyone who knows me knows, I love to play hostess - to offer my home as a place to eat, drink and be merry with loved ones. And ultimately, those things are what I loved about being home. For a fleeting week, I reclaimed my "adult life" and independence that are sometimes lacking in Peru. To go somewhere here in Peru, I am at the whims of the few car owners or my feet. And forget about playing hostess in a a home of which you rent one room. That life, is the one I left 10 months ago. And I do miss it. But I have traded it temporarily for another life style. But, I think that removed for a time from this new way of life, I will come to miss it too. And here's why I think that:

After that brief week home, I was back in Peru. As the plane was landing I didn't feel that feeling that I normally get when touching down in a foreign country, one that says that I am off on another adventure. This time, I felt like I was coming home. But I had just left home. What?

One of the questions I always get is: ?Y te has acostumbrada ya? (Have you gotten used to here yet?) I usually answer: "Yes, I think so." With this feeling of homecoming I had on the plane, I can answer assuredly yes. You don't know your home until you are returning to a place and are certain that there are people you will see there that care for you. I had that feeling going to Atlanta even though I have spent now a total of 3 nights in the city. I had that feeling landing in Chicago. And I had that feeling on my return to Peru. Home is where your loved ones are. In my experience, I have met and found many loved ones. And thus, I have created for myself many homes.

And it is good to be home. Blessings.