Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Home sweet home

Back in the 'Peg after 14 1/2 months.

440 days.

I actually got back 5 days ago, but I've been a bit of a recluse. I've been away for longer than this in the past, but this time, it really felt long. The longest part being the flights home. I got on a bus to Edinburgh airport at 8pm. THIRTY HOURS later, I arrived at the Winnipeg airport. Thirty bloody hours!!! I was supposed to have about 8 hours to hang out in London before catching a connecting flight to Montreal, which is completely manageable. It was overnight, so I could just plunk myself down on a bench and sleep. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed 6 hours and by the time I arrived in Montreal, I'd missed my flight to Winnipeg. They were very kind and organized, and I was placed on the fastest route home, which meant going to Toronto first. So.... after four flights and 30 long hours, I was finally home.

I've been feeling a bit uneasy being back, not settling back in as easily as I usually do. I decided to give myself a week before telling anyone I was back. Just a bit of time to myself to readjust and whatnot. But that plan went out the window when I ran into a friend in Safeway. I was convinced to leave the house and go for a drink last night, and just as I was getting out of the car on my way back, another friend happened to be driving by. She jumped out of her car and attacked me with happy hugs and verbal abuse for not letting her know I was back. We went for a beer and a chat and suddenly things were starting to feel a bit more like home. It's time to crawl out of hiding and see my friends again. This past year has been one of the most challenging experiences I've had, full of extreme highs and lows. It's always a bit strange to come back to a place where not much has changed. As I ease myself back into life in Winnipeg, my life in China starts to feel like a dream. I've always hated that aspect of returning: with nobody that's been through what I've been through, everything starts to feel surreal. Everything I experienced in China and traveling is irrelevant now; it's just in my head, with no one to really share it with.

On a side note, I am stuck using a Mac, which really seems to suck for blogging. Does anyone know a way of accessing some of the usual features? There is no toolbar for changing fonts or using html etc. My blog is so ugly, help!!

12 comments:

Ziggy said...

It\'s always great to get home after being away for a long time. I don\'t get to go home nearly enough, but then again that\'s the life we choose for ourselves. Enjoy the down time!

Marley said...

woo hoo, you\'re home! Just in time to get dumped on with snow! Sorry about the long ass trip home, but I\'m glad u made it there safely. Take care and take some time to relax!

ryan said...

go to the web site!!!!!!1!

ryan said...

You have photographic evidence and extensive blog data that proves you were in China! How can you say it was in your head? Unless all those pictures were just Photoshoped...

Heather said...

Welcome home!

monty said...

- re the blog toolbar . don\'t know much about Macs but download Firefox for Mac which should allow you to have the toolbar and html . http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/all.htmland getting home stinks . especially in the winter . a think a party is called for !

Jade said...

msn on a mac-- Eeeeeew! Macs-eeeeew!Good to surf porn on - but that\'s it.Very depressing to be home for a while... but we still love you!!

t i m said...

Hey Amanda, I just wanted to say a big welcome back. I always enjoyed reading your blogs when you were posting from China. So are missing all your students you used to teach? Obvious question I know, but I tend to do that sometimes.Macs are great for a lot of other things, but I prefer PCs as they\'re easy to use & I\'m resistant to change. :)Anywho, delighted you\'re back, so catch up with you soon when you have readjusted.Take Care.;)

The Lovely Lindsey said...

Eeeeee! Welcome home...!!! You\'re right... Winnipeg never changes... except they seem to be building a lot of credit unions... most of which are ugly... I noticed that when I came back after only four months!

Laoch said...

You must be having major culture shock!

Niles Caulder said...

Welcome back, darlin\'!;P

Vanessa said...

Hey ...WOW..You\'re back.Remember me? You\'ve pinned my map a while ago. Just wanted to see how ya doing. I should have come here more to read your blogs.30 hours is really long.How are things back @ home?I wish I could see that much of the world like you did. Must have been a fantastic experience.Have a nice week;-)GrtzMissV

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