After a whirlwind of a trip back to the states, I finally arrived. Luggage-less and exhausted as I was, I was happy to be home.
And now, with Vienna only 3 days and 5501 miles away, I feel like it was another lifetime. It almost feels like a dream. I had all these amazing adventures and discovered these beautiful places. The landscapes were breathtaking and the architecture was incredible. Everything about the last four months was unbelievable. And yet that seems to be the problem. It's like it didn't even happen. I came home: my parents and aunt were ecstatic to see me, my dog went absolutely nuts. I had a voice-mail from someone that made my day to hear their voice.
And yet the bittersweet moments of goodbye to friends and to that crazy beautiful city are seared into my memory.
And as big a part of my life as it was, it doesn't seem that way to anyone else. They know it was important, but it's hard to convey how much it changed me as a person. It altered my world views and changed me in a big way.
So there's this thing that Webster told us about called "Reverse Culture Shock". I laughed it off. Reverse Culture Shock? Really? It seemed so silly until about 48 hours ago...and I'm not sure the extent of it, but it's starting by presenting Vienna as a dream--so far away and now completely out of reach.
But it's not. So I'll adjust. Vienna was very real and I know that. So it'll do for now to remember and to learn from it until I can get back to Vienna or whatever the next great adventure is.
I'm so much more than greatful for the experiences that I had, and I'm happy to be home. Now it's just getting back to "real life" with responsibilities and uncertainties that I have to figure out. I guess right now it's all about rolling with the punches.
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