Week: 11
Countries: 7
Cities: 35
Charitable Causes: 10
Injuries: 7
New Friends: Tons
Photos: 800+
Planes, Trains, Buses: 53
Lost Bags/Delayed Flights: 0
Passport Pages Left: 3

Last week around this time, I was getting ready for bed in my small, sparse, hot hotel room in Pedang Pedang. Paper-thin, pastel curtains, gentle, oscillating fan, gecko song. Hard mattress, cold shower. The 126th backpack search for toothpaste. Alarm setting for seaside sunrise. I fell asleep to the deep, animated voices of my neighbors – chilled-out surfer boys, all bare feet and Bintang beer – sitting on our shared balcony and storytelling of “epic swells.” So good. So recent.

And, of course, so different. I’ve been in the States for seven days now. After a 1-day cushion for potential culture shock, I stepped back in the line of my New York City life. Nights of dinner with friends followed by drinks with more friends, of empty-cab searches, brightly-lit buildings, cell phones, stilettos, cappuccino and credit card receipts. Also good. As much as I loved my international evenings, I still welcome the familiarity and fun of home base.

It was – and I know the terminology is trite, but – interesting, coming home. My time away was short enough to make readjustment fairly easy. It was long enough, though, for me to take away something almost tangible from each of the cultures I visited; in nearly all cases, cultures so unique from my own. Those memories are like gifts I’ve opened over and over again, every time I tell a story or show a photograph. There’s quite a difference between Thimpu and Times Square; keeping hold of those experiences is important to maintain a sort of grounding when you move back into a busy, whirlwind urban world.

In addition to stories and pictures, I’ve been asked a lot lately about how I feel overall, and what I learned or concluded while I was away (and, to be fair, I believe I did promise some epiphanies in this report). It’s a tall order, though, faced with the task. I set out, not with specific questions in mind, but instead a three-part general objective, starting with a relatively simple plan to openly experience life in its infinite novelty – to see new things, meet new people, eat new food. In addition to the pursuit of such pure pleasure experiences, I left to visit various nonprofit organizations and “play humanitarian” at any given opportunity, as well as share the absolute joy of kids’ yoga with little ones. Scoring three for three, I can summarize it all by one statement: I have never, ever given myself a better present than this.

I loved extending the geographic reach of my contributions to charitable organizations. Whether providing financial support or advising on US-based fundraising, I further confirmed my already-existing love for and commitment to service and traveling to developing countries. On the yoga front, I can’t say anything the pictures don’t reveal already – who wouldn’t be head-over-heels? Every kid I met left an indelible mark on my spirit and, collectively, their light, energy, curiosity and laughter was positively irresistible. I’m thrilled at the idea of keeping that profession in my pocket. And with respect to the day-to-day culture hopping, I’m simply obsessed. The total freedom to roam unencumbered and self-indulgently, without restriction or reservation, drew the map for some gorgeous times. I don’t even have to close my eyes to revisit exhilarating monasteries in Paro, serenity from the middle of the Mekong, sticky-sweet tamarinds and their shiny, dark stone centers, life-threatening rickshaw transport, and elephant riding into the sunrise. There’s so much more, but it’s all too big, in the absolute best way.

Then there are the miscellaneous things. I’ve learned that shampoo makes a decent substitute for hand soap, body wash, shaving gel and, in a pinch, dishwashing and laundry detergent, and that taking a good B vitamin will help prevent mosquito bites. I can pretty much find my way from Point A to B (and to C to D) by saying “hello” in native tongue and asking locals the right questions. I’ve verified that scheduling flexibility is one of the most important things you can have; when good, spontaneous stuff comes up, it’s all yours for the taking (and learned further that you, in fact, must take it). I’ve learned not to be afraid of my fear. I can now highly recommend that anyone in Thailand asking for spicy food should instead just ask for peppers…on the side. I kind of think that I should be allowed to add to my resume the fact that I can pee on any “toilet” you can come up with. And I found out that you never know who you know; that people’s connections can be surprising and fantastic.

That brings me towards the end of the update, which happens to be news about the beginning of something else. I mentioned many entries ago a happenstance meeting in India that led to a casual conversation of a potential yoga teaching opportunity in France, involving private instruction for a client expecting her first child. Well, the conversation turned into an invitation to spend 3 months there doing just that. Given the fact that I just happened to start studying French recently, just happened to train as a yoga teacher last year, just happened to further said training with a prenatal specialization, it’s a natural fit.

In less than 4 weeks, I’ll be headed to Europe, final destination PACA – Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur – for the summer. As a result, my days are filled in part with preparations for breaking my lease and moving my life into storage, escalating my leisurely language studies, reviewing old notes on the process of pregnancy, contently reading Peter Mayle, and pinching myself. The rest of my time is absorbed by playdates with friends and soaking up the City, which has been my home longer than any other.

Oh, another thing I’ve learned: I like writing about this stuff. As I continue on to this surprise addition to my travels, I’ll still post updates, though probably not as often. Please feel free to come along. It is a very special thing to take friends and family along with you for the ride, and your reading and commenting has been nothing short of priceless for me. Quite simply, and most sincerely, thank you.

Finally, a lot of you have paid me one of the biggest compliments by sharing that I’ve inspired you to follow your heart into something that you love, or to just start thinking about heading in that direction. I can’t encourage it enough. Plus, a lot of stories these days suggest that happiness and being able to keep the lights on are not mutually exclusive.  I can’t agree more.

So, go. Dream big. Think creatively. Take baby steps. Share ideas. Write stuff down. Imagine. And then, let me know what you come up with so I can live vicariously through you, too.

À bientôt!

Kelly