IM BACK!

IM BACK! In Canada that is. And I've been meaning to fill you in on everything for well, almost a month now, because that's how long I've been home.

Coming home was strange, especially in the beginning. My flights went well but were long as you can imagine. That last flight seems to be the one that puts me over the edge. I was utterly exhausted by the time I boarded the plane in Toronto. I remember I was so tired I konked out almost as soon as I sat down and slept so deeply I don't even remember taking off. But that does make for quite a pleasant flight. When I landed in Edmonton I was numb. I don't really know how else to describe it. I was so emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted and it was surreal to me that in a few moments I would finally be with my family, the people I had longed to touch and talk to face to face for so long. I was taken off guard when I finally did make it through the gates to meet them. I thought I had to collect my luggage on my own first and then go out and greet them but then all of a sudden there they were!
That moment was one of the best moments of my life hands down. To say the least it was one of the most anticipated. Tears come to my eyes just thinking about it. My moms embrace has never felt as good as that first hug I got from her.

So people often ask me how it feels to come home. And I can't really come up with anything other than great. My year in Slovakia was fantastic. I am incredibly happy I had the opportunity to go and do and see all that I did but I am also SO happy to be home. It feels so good to be with my family again, to be where I come from, to be where I know I belong.

I don't mind the questions people ask me. In fact I love it when people are curious about my year abroad. But what drives me crazy is when people ask me 'how was your trip?'. Now don't get me wrong, I totally understand why people ask me this. And I know they don't intend to drive me nuts but REALLY????!!!! HOw on earth am I supposed to sum up ten ridiculously jam packed full months spent in a foreign country in a sentence or two. SO not possible. But I guess if I had to sum it up I'd say it was THE single most challenging thing I have EVER done but definitely, absolutely, %100 worth it.

But much to my surprise all that only lasted a week or so. After that I was amazed at how fast you fall back into routine. Now I feel like I never left. But not like I was never in Slovakia. Because I still have all those wonderful memories and stories in my mind. MOre so it just feels like my time in Slovakia was a dream or something. I know it happened but it's all so far away now.

One thing that is a little weird is Facebook. Whenever I open it I still see all my Slovak and Exchange student friends' statuses and things. So it kind of acts as a reminder that all that still lives on. But its' still weird to think that I'm so far away from all those people because it seems so familiar. And not only that I am so far away from that now but that I won't ever be a part of that the same way I was this past year. Slovakia will never be the same as it was because sure I can return and visit and see all those people again but when I do go I will be a visitor, a foreigner again, not a resident.

It's also been hard because now there are so many people I want to stay in contact with but who are so far away. And yes technology does make that contact a little bit easier but you can only stay in touch with so many people. Between the time changes and everyones busy schedule I haven't been able to talk to nearly as many people as I would like but with time I'm touching base with who I can. But of course I have talked to Mariely already and I'm positive we will be friends for life. I hope to go to Mexico this christmas or Summer (whenever I have the money saved up) to visit her and her family and then in a couple of years I hope she can come to Canada to visit me! I made a number of life long friendships wiht both Slovaks and the other inbounds. And those friendships are what are going to continue to keep my exchange alive.

Now I'm looking forward to finding otherways to be involved with Rotary. I have my presentation to the club on August 18th and I'm sure I'll do some kind of presentation at SAL. And come university (I'm heading to Calgary this fall) I want to join Roteract. And I'm super psyched about meeting the inbound coming to Sherwood Park next year as well as meeting the outbounds at orientation in the spring.

SO that's it! I can't quite believe my year has come to a close but as the ancient proverb says "all good things must come to an end".

ps. I loved blogging so much this year that I want to keep it up. I'm not exactly sure what my next one will be called but I do want to continue blogging through university. When it's created in the next few months I'll post the link so if you so desire you can follow me through university.