Revisiting My Roots: My Return to America
The moment when I recognized we were flying over the Pacific Ocean and about to hit land in Los Angeles, I felt an instant feeling of second guessing my decision and had to resist the urge to want to run up to the pilot and yell, “Go Back, Go Back!” I really felt a connection to the people and the land in New Zealand and after such a great tour through Australia, I was reevaluating why I was leaving so soon.
After waiting 8 hours for my flight from LA to Charlotte, NC and hours of pretending to be an undercover spy while trying to find one of the only 5 working electrical outlets in a room with over 300 people, I was very ready to touch down and be done with the “traveling” part of the trip. My beautiful cousin Jami graciously picked me up at the airport at 6am on November 18 which was exactly 365 days from when I departed Charlotte airport for New Zealand in 2012. Crazy.
I spent 3 wonderful days with my cousins in Charlotte and had some great family bonding time. I even got to light Dion’s first campfire and help him create his first s’mores! After our visit, a friend of mine picked me up on her way back to Asheville and brought me to the home that I was last living in in Asheville before departing for NZ.
During my stay, I was reunited with some key players in making my dreams become a reality! I hosted a reunion party which reunited me with many of those people and had such a great time sharing some of my stories and thanking them for all of their support.
I spent 1 month in Asheville seeing old faces and visiting new places. One of the best memories while being in Asheville as visiting the Vanuatu
Kava Bar! It is a new establishment and brought me right back to being in beautiful Vanuatu where I left a piece of my heart. Of course I had to try their version of Kava. It was reminiscent of what you’d find in Kava’s birthplace, but to get the real deal, nothing compares to what you’d get in Vanuatu; however, I give them credit and love that they have brought a piece of the island to the States for people to experience.
Curious about Kava? Kava is a tropical plant that grows in places like Vanuatu and Fiji. Islanders harvest the roots of this plant, grind them up and add water to the grounds. Then they carefully massage the roots and the water together with their bare hands. Once it is well mixed, they strain the muddy colored water from the concoction through a cloth reminiscent of cheese cloth and voila! You now have yourself a potent, intoxicating drink that tastes exactly like the Earth took a big crap in your mouth. It is one of most horrible things I have put in my mouth, but the effects of the kava far outweigh the taste :).
Another fun aspect of returning home is rediscovering all of the great food that you didn’t get to eat while abroad! I thoroughly enjoyed allowing myself to indulge in the many calorie and sugar packed goodies that I have been missing for a year now. Those include Ben and Jerry’s and a proper stack of pancakes with REAL maple syrup (VT preferably ;)). In addition to the sweet goodness that I had been missing, I had also missed my sliced deli turkey meat. I’ve been living off sliced ham for a year and before that I repulsed it. Another way I’ve become adaptable to new environments! :-p
Thanksgiving was spent with friends who are now considered family in Asheville. I made my mom’s version of homemade stuffing, green bean casserole and my famous cornbread puddin’! Yum!
Before heading to my hometown of Wolfeboro, NH for Christmas, I was sure to make a stop at Pack’s Tavern with some friends to cut a rug in my old stomping grounds. Dance parties are our middle name and there is no better feeling than letting it loose to some of your favorite jams! Stay tuned to read more about my return adventures in the States and find out how an inconspicuous pairing turned into a dead animal in my mouth!
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