Back for a while

We have been back for quite a while know,  and it feels so weird and different to be back. I feel like it has just been a dream and has passed and gone. Even though we are back we have over 27,000 pictures to remind me. My family and I may seem a little bit different or we do things differently. I have learned that different is not so bad. Whenever We were on our trip and we/I say something weird, my mom and dad would correct me and say "Different, not weird." I have come to realize that there are lots of different ways to do things in life.
Our family has enjoyed our travels so much. I want to thank my mom and dad for taking me on this trip!!! I don't want to live in AF anymore, I want to keep traveling. I really miss the places and the people. I will hope to never forget this experience
It has changed me and my life forever!!

Like a Dream - Coming Back from Our Trip

The past eleven months have passed like a dream. It was not only a dream trip but also it passed quickly and I'm now awake and it's gone. I'm afraid and sad that I've already started to forget bits and pieces. Here are some random thoughts:

• I wonder if we traveled too fast. One third of the journey is anticipation. One third is enjoyment. One third is remembering. I wonder if our anticipation period for each new place was too short to get the maximum out of it. Also, I wonder if having another fun thing/place so soon after each fun thing/place deprived us the opportunity to relish the memories.
• I think we turned into mild travel snobs. After seeing so many big things right in a row we were often not interested in seeing lesser things. It seemed like every little place had a shrine or temple that they were proud of but after seeing so many others and better ones we were not always interested or impressed.
• We really did a lot of cool things: almost all of Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Prague, Auschwitz, Hungarian Bath, the leaning tower of Piza, Italian Pesto, the Parthenon, Mars Hill, the Coliseum, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, Ephesus, appendicitis, the Pyramids and Sphinx, the Taj Mahal, elephant rides, camel rides, cobra charming, leper colonies, the Killing Fields, a tropical island paradise, shellfish allergy, Corregidor, Kuala Lumpur Towers, Sydney Opera House, Tim Tam Slam, tropical glacier in New Zealand, and the Great Wall of China. Wow! I'm sure I've missed something.
• I liked having a place for everything. We generally packed our bags the same way every time so we knew where everything was because it was in the same place every time.
• There were a few basic principles that worked in every country: understand the big picture (or map), orient ourselves on the map, decide where we want to go, and go. Subways worked the same pretty much everywhere. You need a ticket that you buy from a machine (or a ticket agent) or a pass that you have filled with credit. You go through a machine that checks your ticket or pass on the way in and on the way out. There are two directions on each subway train. HAlf of the battle is finding the platform for the train going in the right direction. Having these basic strategies helped a lot in each new city and country.
• There is so much good around the world. Truly. There are angels everywhere. Often people on the street would see us looking at a map and stop to ask if they could help.
• I think part of our success is that we traveled as a family. Most everyone has a family and could relate with us. Traveling as a family also protected us. With so many eyes watching our every move we felt like we were an undesirable target for people with bad intentions. Once a vendor tried to overcharge us for some popsicles and the other people walking past got after the vendor and told us the correct price.
• Before we left I had grand ambitions for our family. I envisioned family workouts, improved family scripture study, improved family prayers, weekly boy scout work, weekly Duty to God and Faith in God work. Not sure what I was thinking. Most of those things didn't happen.
• We committed before leaving that we would attend church every Sunday and stay for all of the meetings even if they were in another language. We did very well in this goal. I think we only missed 3 Sundays. Attending church each week was like coming home. We really felt comfortable attending church around the world. The 3 times we missed were once in Turkey (touring Ephesus), once in Italy (couldn't buy bus tickets), and once in Thailand (couldn't find the church). It was worth it not only because it felt like home but also because it gave the kids a feel for what the church is like around the world.
• I felt like there were a lot of places around the world where I could be happy living. There were also some places where it would be harder to be happy.
• We were really fortunate to have been able to take this trip.
• Technology is amazing. Having Internet access from just about anywhere is amazing. The ability to do video calls (Facetime/Skype) is incredible. We were also able to use technology to access things from outside the US that are only available in the US.
• After having traveled a little now I am even more interested in hearing where others have been. My favorite response to the question "Did you see .....?" is "Not on this trip. We couldn't see everything."
• I ate best (most healthily) in Asia. I felt best. I intend to continue those good eating habits.
• We can have confidence that we can do things because we've done them before. For example, we had to re-pack at every stop. We got pretty good at it. After taking our family around the world for 11 months we should be able to do just about anything. Right?

End of Trip Mixed Feelings

How do I put my feelings about our year of travel in a blog post?  It's pretty hard when I am not quite sure how I am feeling at this point!  In one way I want to continue traveling indefinitely, but in another way I am ready to unpack my bags and not need to repack them again in a few days.  I knew when we started this trip that one day it would come to an end.  I guess now I must decide what impact this experience will have on my life.  Will I jump back into my old habits and routine and just think of all the cool places we saw?  I know this experience has changed me and I hope that some of the changes can be more lasting.

Church Adventures

Our family is LDS, or Mormon. We try to go to church every week if we can, but sometimes it is easier said than done. This is a brief recap of all of the times that we went/tried to go to church.

UPDATE: added all of January. Something must be wrong, because it was fairly easy to get to church this month.

UPDATE: added the rest of the trip, up till May. Added in cities where I forgot to previously.

End of the Trip--Seth's point of view

As our trip is drawing to a close I have thought about all the places we've been. The two countries that stand out the most to me are India and New Zealand for very different reasons. India was a chaotic, dirty, stinky mess that made almost no sense to us. There was poverty and people everywhere. New Zealand was green, calm, and it almost felt like we were home because it was similar to The United States. The scenery and wildlife was stunning and so was the ice cream :).

I think one thing that can be learned as you are traveling is that there is so much good in the world. When you watch the news you hear of bad things that happen all around the world, but when you actually go places that people are so kind and willing to help.

I couldn't tell you whether or not this trip lived up to my expectations or not because I had no idea what I was getting into. I can tell you that we have had many funny, happy, sad, and scary experiences. I'm glad that I was able to go on this trip and if I got the opportunity I will definitely do it again.

Change of Perspective

Almost three years ago Rich found out that his job had been sent off to India without him.  What a blow to lose your employment.  I remember feeling so helpless and almost trapped in our situation.  I felt so limited in the possibilities of our future.  Thankfully he had a side business that kept us going as it took several months to find a new job that was a good fit.  That new job allowed him to work from home which in turn allowed him to work from "home" around the world.  What a fantastic opportunity for our family.  An opportunity that we hadn't even dreamed about before, but has been an incredible experience.

Almost Home

Our week in Japan seemed to fly by and before we knew it it was time to pack up again.  Only this time we were headed to the US, almost home.  We started our monster travel day by leaving our hotel at 5:15 in the morning and then traveled by van, bus, plane, plane, and van for the next 26 hours until we were at Grandma's house in California.  On paper it looked like a 15 minute flight, but in reality it was the day the just didn't end.  I had such mixed emotions as we were heading back to the US.  In one way I was so excited I wanted to jump up and down but in  another way I was so sad I wanted to sit down and cry. When the plane did touch down in LA several people on the plane cheered, but honestly I was looking out the window and felt more like crying instead.  I guess I am just a little messed up right now!