"Why travel? To learn and grow, challenge yourself, stretch your limits and foster an appreciation for both the world at large and the chair waiting in front of the fireplace back home."

So I'm sitting on my couch right now, with the fire right in front of me, snow outside, and it's COLD, but I really really appreciate it, as well as I have appreciated every minute of the incredible journey I have been on for the past two and a half months.

For our farewell dinner on the last night, we were asked to write a paragraph about our favorite part of the trip.  I think my response to the prompt is the best way I could explain what this trip has meant to me, at least now with only two days of reflection.  I know it will continue to impact me, but it already has so much, and I am so thankful and grateful to have had this opportunity!  Well, here's my response:

"Instead of describing my favorite part in one experience, I have to explain it as many smaller experiences combined (this may be cheating, but oh well!)  Only with these tiny dreamlike fragments combined can I express how important and amazing this whole trip was for me! Well, here it goes:

sleeping outside under the greatest number of stars I have ever seen in my entire life.  swimming through a school of glittering, shining fish that change from pink to turquoise to blue to green.  hearing the sound of carving wood.  realizing and appreciating the incredible colors of the Moss Garden by painting and drawing it.  floating above a sea turtle gliding through the water.  searching for two hours, almost giving up, but then finally spotting a sperm whale and seeing it gracefully dive, tail-up, into the depths of the ocean.  rolling down the hot black sand dunes to splash into the cool water of the suspended lagoon.  being two inches away from a wombat wiggling its butt and ambling past all of us on his own time.  watching the little mermaid with all my friends and singing along the whole time.  getting to know new cultures, new people, and new stories in Rarotonga.  playing games, singing songs, and feeling like I could fly with the happiness and laughter that surrounds me at the marae.  eating and slurping up every last juice in the passionfruit, starfruit, and mangos.  scurrying up the golden hills to see the most incredible sunset reach from behind the hill, over the sky, to touch the horizon of the ocean on the other side.  dancing and stomping and running on the beach to make it sparkle!  sitting on the top of a volcano and witnessing the sunrise touch every hill individually in front of us until it reached ours.  eating lunch at the top of a volcano looking into a huge abyss of a redblack crater.  dribbling and kicking the soccer ball around jellyfish and huge boulders and the sea rushing in a beautiful, beautiful beach.  hiking through the eerily beautiful white burnt trees that stand out against the blue ocean.  watching a rainbow follow our bus for an hour and a half and then disappear behind a mountain in what looked liked a rainbow sunset.  and finally, meeting an amazing group of people, and learning so much about them, and about myself and who I want to be through them and our shared experiences."


Thank you to everyone who followed me!! Knowing I had people at home supporting me made me be able to be less homesick and fully engage in everything!  I can't wait to see you all in person and swap stories from the last few months!!!

Love,
Megan