Getting to Thailand: Texas, USA

Now that I am officially back home in Texas, it's time to reflect upon my last 6 months of life. I'll start with a list of all the things I did in the first 24 hours home that I had not done once in Thailand.

1. Took a bath - A real bath. No more cold showers!

2. Put on a seat belt - Safety first!

3. Had a Dos XXs Beer and Cheese Enchiladas

4. Played with Tuesday (my cat) - oh how I missed that little fluffball!

6. Slept on a SOFT bed.

7. Had clean feet - seriously, it's been a while.

8. Done my own laundry NOT in a bucket but real life washer and dryer!

9. Not felt the desire to take 5 showers a day - 1 will suffice as it is not 90 degrees with 100% humidity outside!

I'm positive that there are many more to add to the list - but these are the major items.

My awesome cat I've been missing!

Life has now gained a whole new perspective from my eyes. I have a "new found respect for life", as once said by Ross Gellar (any FRIENDS fans out there? Remember that time that Ross thought he almost died and said this?! No?! Well maybe I watched too many Friends episodes while I was in Vang Vieng, Laos). The point is - life is much different now. It will take time to adjust.

It’s strange being back to normality. Or at least what is deemed normal. For 6 months my normal life consisted of consistently being in 90 degree weather sweating my ass off, drinking gallons of water a day, not following any safety regulations, and eating suspicious food from people on the street. I haven’t touched real cheese in an eternity. I haven’t had a washing machine or dryer for laundry. I’ve had no need for more than one sheet to sleep under at night, if that. I haven’t had a fancy phone or computer (for 3 months). I haven’t even had a cat to cuddle with at night. Yet now I find myself surrounded by luxuries. I have hot water, a soft bed, regular size water bottles, air conditioning in every room, a fancy TV, and pets that don’t look like they may be carrying some disease! LUXURIES!

These luxuries come at a price however. I also haven’t had to deal with things such as stress, unemployment, or responsibilities for that matter. Now I need to find a job, pay off my credit card, prepare for my best friend’s wedding, and think about what to do next. It’s almost nicer to live without all these luxuries if it means having a stress free life. Do I really need that soft bed and that air conditioner? You don’t miss what you never had, so I guess for some people this is perfectly okay. In fact, I think I was just about adjusted to it before I left.

Quite honestly, being back is like waking up from an amazing dream. It’s sad that its over, yet you've got to move on. I see this as a step forward to my next big adventure, rather than one step back to reality. Hopefully I can find something just as amazing to look forward to shortly. If anyone knows any openings - send them my way! I'm ready for the next big thing!

For now, this is goodbye Thailand. It was nice to meet you, and one day we'll meet again. Until then - take care!

Highlights of Thailand: