Summer Travel Catch up :)
Hello! I have taken a two month hiatus from blogging because I was traveling!
7 countries and 32,000 miles in only two months. It was insane but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
My first stop on my travels was going home to America. It was absolutely amazing to see my family and friends after being gone for 6 months. It was great to be in a familiar place with the people I love. I loved seeing my dog and actually being in a place where I wanted to put on a jacket, instead of my usual non stop sweat sesh in Thailand! However, something I didn't anticipate about going home was how out of place I would feel. Although I was overjoyed to be home, it was such a strange feeling to be back in the land of SUV's, well lit stores, American flags, diversity, and no language barriers. I never thought that I would feel out of place in the country I call my permanent home. It was strange to me because I feel I have changed so much since I have been gone, but my world at home has stayed relatively the same. I realized that this is the price I pay for loving people and places in different parts of the world; a price I will gladly pay :)
Next, I went to the Philippines and absolutely fell in love with not only the landscape, but also the culture and the absolutely wonderful people. On my second day there, I met the most wonderful family. They have a business renting beach chairs to foreigners and I met them because I started playing with their adorable children. After a few hours of interacting with each other on the beach, they invited us to join their family for a beer, as they were closing their shop up. We sat and talked for a few more hours, before they invited us over for dinner. Little did we know, we were about to be extremely humbled.
We followed them up a dirt road to their small one room brick and mortar house. They didn't have windows, only holes cut into the walls. They had no indoor plumbing and all slept together on mats on the floor. Yet, they went out of their way to invite US, the tourists, for dinner. We quickly offered to pay for our food, but they would not allow it. We sat and talked with them, discussing our lives and families, and we loved our time. They told us to come back tomorrow and they would throw a big party with the neighborhood for us. The party that night was unlike anything I've ever experienced! Although they (finally) let us pay for some of the food for dinner, they were still entertaining us on the little they had. This was such a beautiful and humbling experience for me and their kindness and love have left a large imprint on my heart. I plan to return to Boracay to give them hugs and as many toys as I can bring!
The rest of the trip, I met up with my friend Brittlyn from San Diego and then I traveled for a few days alone. This trip helped me to learn more about myself, what I value in a community, and what true giving and kindness look like. Below are some pictures from my trip, enjoy!
7 countries and 32,000 miles in only two months. It was insane but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
My first stop on my travels was going home to America. It was absolutely amazing to see my family and friends after being gone for 6 months. It was great to be in a familiar place with the people I love. I loved seeing my dog and actually being in a place where I wanted to put on a jacket, instead of my usual non stop sweat sesh in Thailand! However, something I didn't anticipate about going home was how out of place I would feel. Although I was overjoyed to be home, it was such a strange feeling to be back in the land of SUV's, well lit stores, American flags, diversity, and no language barriers. I never thought that I would feel out of place in the country I call my permanent home. It was strange to me because I feel I have changed so much since I have been gone, but my world at home has stayed relatively the same. I realized that this is the price I pay for loving people and places in different parts of the world; a price I will gladly pay :)
Next, I went to the Philippines and absolutely fell in love with not only the landscape, but also the culture and the absolutely wonderful people. On my second day there, I met the most wonderful family. They have a business renting beach chairs to foreigners and I met them because I started playing with their adorable children. After a few hours of interacting with each other on the beach, they invited us to join their family for a beer, as they were closing their shop up. We sat and talked for a few more hours, before they invited us over for dinner. Little did we know, we were about to be extremely humbled.
We followed them up a dirt road to their small one room brick and mortar house. They didn't have windows, only holes cut into the walls. They had no indoor plumbing and all slept together on mats on the floor. Yet, they went out of their way to invite US, the tourists, for dinner. We quickly offered to pay for our food, but they would not allow it. We sat and talked with them, discussing our lives and families, and we loved our time. They told us to come back tomorrow and they would throw a big party with the neighborhood for us. The party that night was unlike anything I've ever experienced! Although they (finally) let us pay for some of the food for dinner, they were still entertaining us on the little they had. This was such a beautiful and humbling experience for me and their kindness and love have left a large imprint on my heart. I plan to return to Boracay to give them hugs and as many toys as I can bring!
The rest of the trip, I met up with my friend Brittlyn from San Diego and then I traveled for a few days alone. This trip helped me to learn more about myself, what I value in a community, and what true giving and kindness look like. Below are some pictures from my trip, enjoy!
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