How you know you’ve been traveling for a bit too long…

6 Aug 2011

 

I'm back in the States.  Whew!  And soon, I'll be back in MI again.  Double Whew!  After sleeping in a total of 9 beds in the last two months, I'm ready to stay in one place for more than a few days!

Don't get me wrong.  I love to travel.  And I've been extremely blessed by the crazy route God has put me on this summer.  I'm not sure why He chose me to end up all over the place, but it has been a blast.  I've met amazing people, seen a lot of things, and gotten to spend great time with my family along the way.  I got to be a part of my brother's wedding, and see a bit of my sister-in-law's culture and family in Colombia.

my brother Jeremy and sister-in-law Claudia

The wedding party, plus parents

Me and my bro



Outside the Fernando Botero Museum in Medellin



But at the same time, I'm tired.  Of saying goodbyes.  And of remembering that the things I've come to think of normal, really just ... aren't. 

Here are a few things I've realized just might mean you've been traveling for a bit too long...

• You see a car commercial and have to stop and think whether the driver is on the right side of the road for that country.
• You go to pay for grad classes and completely forget there is such a thing as a check… you haven’t seen one in two years!
• You realize how annoying commercials are, no matter what the language… and can’t believe people actually watch them!
• You start comparing aspects of airports in different countries (calming music and blue colors in Cairns, Australia, letting you take water through security in Bogota, Colombia…) and think you should suggest these ideas to your “local” airport. 
• You know exactly how many days your deodorant, travel-sized shampoo, and face wash last and can plan accordingly for trips. 
• You know how to greet people in five different languages, but are never sure what version might come out at any given location or time.
• You get just as excited for "football" (soccer) as the locals in any country... besides the US.  And have determined this is your favorite sport to watch.
• You know the exchange rate from 6 different currencies into US Dollars off the top of your head.  
• You have your pictures on your computer named and separated into files by what continent they were taken on.
• You’ve ridden on enough elevators and moving walkways to contemplate why the hand-rail moves faster than the floor…