Friday, June 5, 2009

Settling back into the routine





To be honest I must admit that I miss being on the road. To be really honest I miss my people. I miss waking up in the morning, making coffee and giving a cup to Jordan.

I miss being the only morning person in the bunch. I miss devotions in the morning and debriefing at night.

I miss cooking on a stove top with little ingredients and having people rave about my food.

I miss Nicole and I talking to the geckos on the screen as they hunted for moths.

I miss Tim Tam Time.

I miss the Mai Pai van.

So I wonder if my perceptions of our journey are the same as the rest of the team.

Was it really as wonderful as I thought it was?

My journey home was uneventful. In an effort to make things easier for my friends in Australia, I booked a hotel room in Sydney the night before leaving the country. It was a great decision. After Esther, Grace and I had lunch at the hotel I settled a bit in my room and then went on a walkabout to the waterfront of Sydney Harbor.

It was a little lonely walking around by myself, so after getting the required photos I headed back to my room where I updated this blog.

It was great to be alone and by myself. Peace. I could be free.

The cushy king sized bed was amazing!!!

I took a $12 shuttle to the airport. The driver treated me to a lovely tour of downtown Sydney as he drove around picking up the other 8 passengers. Along the way, as the minutes ticked by, I was concerned that I would arrive at the airport behind schedule. Although I was the last to be dropped off at the international terminal, I arrived with an hour and 15 minutes before my flight boarded.

Once on the plane I was happy to have an empty seat next to me.

Things were looking really great.

An uneventful flight, my mind was on the Air France flight that went down off the coast of South America.

I basically watched movies and documentaries across the Pacific Ocean.

Arriving in LA was a disappointment. Sterile, unfriendly and unwelcoming. My mind remembered the welcoming band when we landed in Port Moresby, PNG.

I slept all the way from LA to Portland. Sleep came quickly and easily.

Wade was there to meet me. It felt good to be home.

I knew I needed to stay awake as long as possible. I went to bed at 10 pm. When Wade came to bed at 11 pm he woke me up and that was it till 3 am.

Settling in on the recliner I watched the season finales of shows I'd saved on the DVR. Finally, with a a little help from Vicodin, sleep overcame me for a while.

Knowing I would need a day off I had the rest of the day to unpack, get a manicure and pedicure and enjoy being home.

On my way to work I was a little concerned about how it would be at work. But it all turned out okay. By the end of the day I was caught up with emails and today I was able to work on other projects.

I posted a bunch of pictures on Facebook. Pictures from the mumu. It didn't go over very well and I removed them tonight. I think they are beautiful. The girls are as covered as if they were in their swimsuits. Oh well. I understand.

Sadness, depression? These emotions feel close to me right now.

I know this will pass. But right now I feel sad.

I miss my people. My friends. Wantoks.

I miss what we shared, something only the 12 of us will ever understand.

The disappointments of Ukarumpa and the challenges of Lae. Electricity going out. No water. Humidity. Laughter. Memories. Mai Pai Transportation.

I wish I could go back in time. I wasn't ready for it to end.

2 comments:

  1. I just got caught up on your blog. Thanks for sharing, both the events and your emotions. I hope I'll have more time to hear more about your time and your transition back to Newberg. Peace be with you, JereAnn!

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  2. hi jere!
    reading your words, i feel you!
    i miss the way in which time seemed to stop for us in papua new guinea, how we were connected to each other, to each present moment, to God, & nothing else
    i am sorry things are a bit tricky in adjusting back
    i think for me, the difficulties in being back here have made it easier to process exactly what happened over there, under those different stars
    i miss you jere
    i am hoping & praying for you
    i watched anthony bourdain, & thought of you
    the namibia episode is quite fantastic!
    i can hear your sweet, life giving laugh now, comforting me all the way in eastern washington:)
    love ya,
    cyn

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