Doober.

It sure is an adjustment coming back home after having lived in Peru a while. Some changes were expected, like driving places instead of walking. Some changes have been enjoyable, like not having to wait for the water to heat up before hopping in a hot shower. Some changes have been inconvenient, like no longer having wireless internet in my home. And some changes have just hurt. Like having to look at pictures of kids in San Marcos instead of swinging on the swings with them.

It's a whole different world here. Not just because I saw a different way of living for a few months, but because that way of living changed my perspective. My home isn't what changed while I was away. I'm what changed while I was away, and now it kind of feels like I don't fit in very well anymore. I'm trying to adjust. But it's hard. And a little lonely. I don't know what to do.

It's over?

I've been sitting here for the last 15 minutes just staring at a blank screen where this post is supposed to go. How do you sum up in a simple blog post the last three most beautiful months of your life? It seems overwhelming. I feel more full than I've ever felt, and at the same time there's an emptiness that comes from not being able to share my experiences...simply because I don't really know where to start. I want to just print out my blog and carry that around with me. And when people ask, "hey, how was your trip?" i can just hand it to them and say, "here, read this and then we'll talk."

Well...I arrived home safely on Thursday last week. I didn't think I would ever get home, though. My flight from Cusco to Lima was delayed about 4 and a half hours. When I finally got to the Copa Airlines check-in desk in Lima they said I couldn't check in; that my flight was closed because I didn't arrive at least an hour before the flight to check in (I had reached the check-in desk about half an hour before the flight). Well, since it wasn't my fault, it was the fault of the 7 knot winds in Cusco, they told me they'd "see what they could do" (how nice!). The whole time the man was checking me in, he was telling me, "you are so late! you are sooooo late! you're gonna have to run." Thanks. So I ran. And ran and ran. And lost my visa. I had to pay a fine. While I was paying it, the nice people at immigration were telling me, "you are so late! you are sooooooooo late!! you have to run!! GO!!!" Great. So I ran. And I made it to the gate about 4 minutes before scheduled take-off. I definitely don't have a lot of good memories in the Lima airport. But I made it from Lima to Panama, then from Panama to LA. And I had a nice surprise in LA. Not only were my parents there to meet me, but some good, good friends too.

It feels good to be home. It's been comforting to be surrounded by the friends and family that I've missed so much. It puts a smile on my face. But I still feel a little something is missing. Maybe it's Wilber I miss so much now. Maybe it's that I'm not hearing enough Spanish. Maybe I miss climbing stairs...I don't know. But I do know there will always be a place in my heart just for Cusco; a place that will feel a little empty when I'm not there.

God changed me while I was away. I hope that this chapter is not over; that even though I am living in Downey again, I will continue to grow because of what I've seen and heard and felt in Cusco. God is faithful. I know this isn't the end. It's not over.