The Things I Learned (poem)

I carried my luggage into my house, for the first time in months I walked up the brick steps to my front door.

A Ghanaian drum, a Vietnamese rice hat, clothing from India, Chinese chopsticks, and a thousand new memories loaded in my arms.

The floor of my Dad’s truck is still littered with Japanese candy wrappers and a half eaten bag of macadamia nuts.

I have been around the world and now I am home.

I can now recognize the difference between Yen and Yuan, the Hong Kong dollar and the Singapore dollar, Real and Rand, a Dong and a Rupee

And yet I still tried to pay for my Chai at Starbucks with a handful of Cedi I found still in my 

wallet.

I have seen and done more than most people will in their entire lives.

I know how to deal with both stressful situations and heartbreaking moments.

I know how to test to locks on a cab’s doors to avoid getting locked in and forced to pay more money,

And I know how to destroy the cab if the driver succeeds in locking me in.

I know how to take on another’s culture, though I am still not sure how to let go.

I have seen monkeys, deadly spiders, caiman, and giant lily pads in the Amazon,

I have seen the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China, Ha Long Bay, Table Mountain, and thousands of other hidden treasures of the world

I have formed bonds around the planet and made friends that I will keep forever.

I have journeyed around the world, but there is far more for me to learn.

I have learned how to cry for someone else’s pain and to praise the Lord even in the middle of the ocean.

I have learned to see the world through my own eyes instead of through a camera lens and that getting lost can sometimes be the best way to explore a new place.

I have learned how to be a world traveler and I have a passport full of stamps to prove it.

Time to Process

I have no idea how to end my final blog post.  I don’t think it’s possible to sum up my entire semester in just a few paragraphs.  I just finished circumnavigating the globe and seeing things and places that many people never will get the chance to see. 

It has been a long journey, I have been through a lot, and I have met a ton of amazing people.  It was difficult to say goodbye to them all and I didn’t get to see a lot of people on the last day since we were all preoccupied with packing our bags and making sure we didn’t forget anything.  I at least got to say ‘goodbye’ to all of the members of the Officer’s club.  We went out for lunch together with our families before we went our separate ways.  I miss them already, especially my sbffl (ship best friend for life), Liz K.  After being around her nearly 24/7, it’s weird that she suddenly isn’t here anymore.  She promised to come visit me this summer, though, so I am sure I will see her soon.

I am not quite home yet.  My mom and I decided to take a road trip to the Grand Canyon on the way home, so I won’t be home until tomorrow or the day after.  I am honestly a little afraid to go home and face all of the questions people are going to ask me…  “Was it fun?” “What was your favorite port?” “What challenged you the most?”  I don’t know how to answer any of these questions.  Yes, it was fun at times, but it was also insane at times, or scary or heartbreaking.  When I saw children begging on a train in India I felt as if my heart was going to tear apart because I could do nothing to help them.  It was always challenging.  There is no wa to answer these questions with a few simple sentences.  I know there are some people who, even now, will say I was simply on a cruise around the world.

On this voyage, I saw beggars in India and thieves in South Africa, I saw the Amazon rainforest and the Great Wall of China.  I saw cherry blossoms in bloom in Japan and the Taj Mahal.  I have seen proof that there is pain all over the world, but also beauty.  There is poverty and suffering, but also joy and people who love their lives.  I have seen how different cultures live and I understand how they can be happy even though they have very little.  I have seen different forms of exploitation around the world, but also hundreds of acts of kindness.

I have learned how to say ‘thank you’ and ‘hello’ in many different languages and how important it is to smile.  I have learned how to walk fast and to haggle merchandise to half the price. At the moment I feel as if I don’t fit in, though I know the feeling will begin to fade over time.  I need time to process what I have seen.  Whether is simply takes me a few weeks or several months to figure out what all I have seen means, I don’t know.

On my journey I have found friends that I know I will keep for the rest of my life and memories that I will never forget.  I learned a lot from the voyage, though I don’t know how I have changed through the experience, or even if I have changed at all, I feel like I have gained a new kind of cultural understanding that I didn’t have before.  For years I have thought that I wanted to spend my life traveling and writing and this journey has reinforced that desire.  I don’t know how to explain the things that I have seen or even what I think of them, but I know I have a lot more exploring to do.  Someday I will be able to look back and how this voyage has changed me and affected my life, but for now I need time to process.

Almost Home

The hall outside my room is covered in maps.  People have been using magnets to hang their maps outside so people can sign them, or carrying the maps around the catch people as they walk.  Everyone is saying their goodbyes and getting sentimental.  It’s been a long voyage, but it seems like it has gone by really fast.  The day after tomorrow we will be docking in San Diego and all heading home.  Today I went to two different workshops about dealing with being back home and reverse culture shock.  They both made me really sad.  I don’t think I am going to have too many problems, but I will definitely miss having my friends knock on my door at random times of the day to ask if I want to watch the Office or to just sit in my cabin and talk about random life issues.

            Anyway, the last few days we have had a couple of things going on.  The last worship service was a couple of nights ago.  It went really well.  We all signed a map with our prayers, which we are hoping to leave for the next group to sign it as well.  We ended the last service with the song ‘He Reigns’ by the Newsboys.  That song has been one of my favorites to play during the voyage because the lyrics mention all of the places we have been.

            Last night was the alumni ball.  It was kind of weird to get dressed up after not even wearing makeup for the past three months.  We had a special dinner where Liz K, Liz O, Paige, Matt, Caitlin, and I all sat together.  After that we watched a video and a slideshow, one made by the student alumni council and the other made by the ship’s photographer.  That was followed by the dessert bar, during which I ate way too many sugary things (I know because I had a terrible dream that I got really sick from eating so much).  Then there was dancing.  I only stayed for about an hour because it was crowded and people kept running into me.  Despite that, it was a pretty fun night.

            I am excited to get home and start my next adventure, but I am dreading having to say goodbye to my friends.  After getting used to seeing them nearly 24/7, it will be a strange adjustment to going back to our different parts of the world and only being able to talk on phone or Skype.  I don’t really want to think about that too much right now, though.  We just have one more full day on the ship and most of my things are already packed.  Anyway, I should get to bed now since we have our last time change tonight and I want to get to breakfast tomorrow.