I've been home for about 2 weeks now and in this time I've had a lot to think about and reflected about my trip. I thought, why do people travel? Well, for me it's for the novelty. To experience something new, different, exciting. Which leads me to my next reflection. Disappointment. That's how I felt upon my return. I knew expectations could lead you down a road of false hope and yet I couldn't help myself from trying to foresee what things would be like. It's in my nature, I guess. I look back now on a less experienced version of myself just two months ago... I was so excited to be visiting a new country. Eager to experience a wide-range of new flavors, scenery and smells. Enticing all my senses. But much to my disappointment, I was met with something somewhat familiar. (Don't get me wrong there were some new experiences but for the most part I felt like I had already seen these things...). Aside from Rio, which is definitely a city I would like to visit again, the Northeast region where I stayed was shockingly similar to Mexico. The houses, the climate, the atmosphere, the people. Maybe they are not all the same but it was all too familiar.
Now to a more positive reflection. Appreciation. Being away always makes me appreciate what I have back home. Starting with the food which is what I missed the most. I don't know what I'm going to do when I move away and leave behind my dad's delicious food. I guess I will just have to try and mimic his cooking expertise in hopes that my food is half as good as his. There are so many things I am grateful for, it will be hard to name them all. For one, the peace of mind I have being at home, or on the street or anywhere, really, and knowing that for the most part I'm safe and don't need to protect myself from everyone... even the police. This leads me to freedom. Since I feel safe, I am not confined to anywhere. It has dawned on me that cars really equal to freedom. If you have a car you are free to go anywhere. Well... sorta, you also need money. Now on to more petty things, like the fact that no one ever has change or doesn't want to give you any. So whenever you have a 100-reais bill (equal to 50 American dollars) everyone will give you the stink eye and ask you for a smaller bill. Also, why is it so hard to get some ketchup. Everywhere we went french fries were a staple but... lo and behold... there was no ketchup!! Even when we asked for it would take a couple tries before we actually got any. Also, I'm grateful that everyone here isn't trying to rip you off or sell you something. It gets to be exhausting having to deal with that nonstop.
UPDATE: It just dawned on me that in reality (or at least my reality) this trip was truly eye-opening. I guess what I'm trying to say is that before this trip I lived in fairyland. Everything was nice and beautiful looking through my rose-colored glasses and this trip really shattered this concept. Maybe this is where I made my transition from a naïve small town girl perspective to a more realistic way to view the world. I was having a hard time processing all this until I figured it out.
Well that's all for now! Thanks for reading and until next time. Next trip is New York, coming up shortly :)
