December 29th, 2009

When I got back to Canada, the first thing I did was put on makeup, straighten my hair and wax my legs. I stocked the fridge with fancy cheeses and fruits, subscribed to magazines and bought new clothes. I was in such a rush to look like a woman once more and have a normal life! I wanted a closet, a room, a home.

Then one day, as I showered in a clean, warm bathroom, I felt a pang of nostalgia for the more difficult life I had left behind.

People kept asking me how the trip was, and I usually answered with some unsatisfactory variety of “really interesting!” because I just couldn’t sum it all up.

When we got bored, Richard and I used to play a game in which we named our favorites of the trip so far. Best landscape? Most interesting person we’ve met? Tastiest dish? But by the end, the game was impossible because we’d simply seen and experienced so much. I’m sure much of it we will forget.

But I realized that day in the shower what would stay with us: the sense of accomplishment. Somehow, in that moment, I missed having to gingerly hang my clothes inside the campsite shower hoping they wouldn’t get wet before venturing back into the cold, only half-dry. I missed having to haul my 30+ kg bicycle up flights of stairs. I missed having to wash socks in the sink, dry clothes on the heater, cook dinner in gloves and a hat in a single little pot. In short, I missed the sense of accomplishment you earn when you have to work hard for every day. 

As I packed away my panniers for Canada’s winter season, I felt I was closing the door on a challenging but beautiful few months of my life – and all of a sudden, I wished they had never ended. A trip like this is one you appreciate most in retrospect.

Thank you all for reading, and Richard, thank you for everything you put into this. It will stay with me always.

For those of contemplating doing something similar, don't hesitate. Just do it (and get Richard to plan it for you). It will force you to grow as a person. We never know how far we can go until we are tested.

Gracias y arrivederci!