The Transition Area

What a lame, defunct blog this is. If you've stumbled upon this post, I'd like to thank you in advance for being curious enough about my post-traveling life to read it. On the surface, it would appear that I myself am rather ambivalent about my post-traveling life, because apparently nothing has been interesting enough to write about since approximately ... March 10th (I'll do the math you: that's just shy of half a year). Please allow me to defend myself, just a little: I have actually drafted several posts, none of which ended up on here. I kept feeling like I needed to say something big and marvelous, something profound and pithy, something that would tell the world that "YES! I learned and explored and I came away a better person because of it!" Nothing like that really came to me, at least not in the way that I perhaps wanted it to.

However lacking in grand philosophical treatises I might be, I'm really quite upset with myself for not doing a better job of recording some of the things that have gone down recently, because, contrary to all appearances, I'm actually pretty excited about life at the moment. It certainly hasn't been as exotic as exploring the mountain ranges of Tibet or the jungles of Laos, but it's been good. Allow me to give a brief summary of the past six months of my life:

• In the month or so after I returned, I embarked on a couple trips closer to home: Matthew and I road-tripped to my parents' place in Naples, FL; the family visited Jen and Matt's old stomping grounds in Gainesville, FL; and Chrissy and I decided on a rather impromptu visit to friends Beth and Anne in Los Angeles. 

• Before the craziness of summer camp really set in, I got to spend a lot of time with Matthew up at Camp, which, after being apart for eight months, was much cherished. One thing that was kind of special was that we worked together to host a LOST finale party. LOST was our favorite show EVER and we were soo sad to see it go! But, with our beach-themed basement, Dharma Initiative Food, and all our friends dressed up as our favorite characters, we had quite the memorable send-off to six seasons of greatness. 

• I spent a good chunk of my time in the spring and summer simplifying my life, especially my possessions. After living out of a couple suitcases or a backpack for the better part of the year, I truly started to internalize the idea that "stuff" doesn't make me happy. I got rid of piles and piles of clothes, sold tons of books and DVD's, donated lots of things I wouldn't use anymore, and probably reduced my clutter tenfold. It became commonplace for my parents to come down to the lower level and see boxes upon boxes of things waiting for new homes. It. Felt. GREAT. 
• I also worked hard at simplifying my diet. For quite some time, I've toyed with the idea of making the transition into becoming a raw foodist. (Which means eating 100% vegan - no animal products - and about 75-90% of your food in an uncooked, nutritionally-dense state.) More than that, I've wanted to completely eliminate all refined grains and sugars from my diet. At this point, I'm still not there, as this is a lifestyle that takes a number of years for most people to work their way into.  However, I did make great strides in working toward this way of eating over the past couple months. Most people now know that blending up nutrition-packed green smoothies (fruit smoothies blended with lots of leafy greens) is an absolutely given part of my day!
• Before I started working very much, I had loooads of free time. I decided to make the most of it by tackling a goal I've held for quite some time: complete a triathlon! Upon my return, my dad taught me how to swim properly, and then I started getting out on some of the bikes we had lying around at the house. And, I pulled out my running shoes again and committed to a training schedule. After three months of diligent work-outs, I crossed the finish line at the Danskin Chicagoland Triathlon in Pleasant Prairie! I can't tell you what a satisfying experience this was for me. It felt awesome to know that I worked to complete something that I never could have "just done." It felt even better to complete the race and be greeted by my family and Matthew, and to have been supported by them and my awesome friend and training buddy Chrissy throughout the whole summer. I LOVE the sport, and I can't wait to do another next year! 

• Perhaps one of the most exciting things of the past couple months has been the job that sort of fell into my lap a couple months ago. Awhile back I got together with Doug, who had been the staff advisor on a trip that I took with a group of students to Israel-Palestine the spring of my senior year of college. He told me that they were looking to grow their Quest program, of which Israel-Palestine was just one trip of many that they coordinated all around the world. He asked if I was interested in coordinating these trips. Was I!? Of course! So, I've been working from home for the past couple months, commuting to Madison every now and again to hammer some stuff out in person. This January, we'll be sending out teams of students to Nepal, Costa Rica, and Kenya. So, we'll have a busy fall of recruitment and preparing for departure, but I'm absolutely thrilled about the position and am excited to really get into the swing of things in Madison. (You can check us out at www.badgerquest.org and see what I've been working on!)

There have been so many ways in which these past few months have been just as important and transformative as the adventures that preceded them. However, the biggest blessing about my time home has just been the fact that I've been able to really relish my moments with the people that mean the most to me. I can't tell you how much each of my days here has been enriched by just being in the presence of people I really, really love. It has been a blessing to be able to spend another summer getting to see my niece grow up into a beautiful, hilarious little girl; to be able to do things like go strawberry picking with my mom on a whim, or watch the thunderstorms on the porch with my dad, or go out to lunch with my sisters. For the first time in awhile, I've been able to be a part of and plan get-togethers with friends and family, and that's a really great feeling.

In triathlons, there's a pretty critical area called the Transition Area. It's where you change from your swim to your bike, and your bike to your run. It's timed separately, and it's kind of a little haven of food and breath and water before you set out full-steam again. As I went for one of my final New Berlin bike rides the other night, I couldn't help but feel like the last six months here at home have been my own little transition area. College, traveling, living abroad - these things were all thrilling and exciting, and I absolutely wouldn't give up those formative experiences for anything. However, I'm not sure that I would have liked moving forward as much if I didn't have this time back at home under my belt. It has been beyond wonderful to take life at a relaxed pace, and to truly have time to ponder where I'm going and the kind of person that I want to be. 

Now I'm heading out again, back to a new life in Madison. I'm so excited about it, but of course, a little sad to see this truly idyllic time of my life come to a close. But I guess none of us can stay in the Transition Area for the whole race. It's a place for us to recharge, refuel, and refocus our efforts, but not a place for us to hang around. So I'll appreciate it for what it is, and get ready to move forward, invigorated by what it has done for me. 

Thanks for reading! I imagine that my life in the future will be a little more structured, so stay tuned; I'll work at being more consistent with this!