A Crazy Few Weeks and a Final 'Thank You'

So it's done. I'm amazed. I arrived safely home yesterday, coming from a sweltering, humid jungle in Peru to 3 inches of snow and ice in Portland. Shocking? Yeah, you could say that.

I had some pretty incredible final 3 weeks, punctuated by some really difficult "goodbye's" and two absolutely fantastic adventures. I also had some time (7 hours) to think in the Starbucks of the Lima airport as I waited for my flight home, so I wrote a bit about how I was feeling. It's still hard to explain what exactly has changed within me, but I know that I have seen some changes--and I've only been home for a day.

In any case, I look forward to seeing you all at some point. I really appreciate your interest and your support as I undertook this not-so little adventure. Although it has come to a close, I can't tell you all how nice it is to know that I have family and friends interested in my life and supporting me with every large and small step.

One final story: my guide through the Peruvian jungle, who you'll read about later, had an endless amount of stories and anecdotes to tell us about Peru. One of them that has stuck with me was his explanation of retribution between people. This isn't retribution in the violent, eye for an eye sense. Quite the opposite. He says that most Peruvians who farm the steep slopes of the Andes always carry 3 leaves of coca with them. When they come upon another person in the road, they present these 3 leaves to the other person and receive a different 3 leaves in return. It could be to ask for help, to start a conversation, or to just to show some manner of fraternity with their fellow man. The great thing is that they always have something to offer because they always give and receive in return.

Unfortunately, I don't think this cultural action is destined for the US; however, I'll offer my own. You have all shown me your support just by reading my blog, sending me e-mails, or communicating with me in some way during the last few months. I'd like to return the favor in any way that I can. If you would ever like travel advice for South America; if you would ever like to know what a Spanish word means and don't want to look it up; if you would ever just like to talk about life or reignite an old connection, please feel free to contact me. And PLEASE, if you ever travel somewhere new and interesting (even if it's just on a cool, hidden hike outside of Portland or some other city), let me know about it.

Our world begs to be explored. I've done my exploring from afar for awhile. Maybe it's time for me to stay a bit closer to home. At least for now. . .

Chao.