On my final day in Chile I woke up at 3:45 in the morning and took a transfer from my hostel to the airport. There were several people already in line waiting to check in and this made me a little nervous because although I had a ticket I did not have a seat assignment and until I got one I could still be bumped from my flight. Luckily the flight between Santiago and Bogota, Colombia was fairly empty and check-in was completed without a hitch. In Bogota I had a 10 hour layover. There is nothing to do in the Bogota airport. They don't allow you into the rooms where you board the plane unless you're actually booked on that flight so they have a line of chairs hugging the hallway and I spent my day there instead. I had 6 Fruti-Grans (delicious Argentine cookies) left and I rationed them throughout the day because I had no Colombian currency... not that there was anything to buy anyway. I alternated between reading and sleeping awkwardly sitting up. I got excited when I realized I only had an hour left to go - then I could go into the boarding rooms where I could at least watch television in Spanish. Then I got really sad when I realized that I never adjusted my clock for the time change between Arg. and Colombia and I actually had 2 hours left before departure. Eventually my flight departed and 6 hours later I was descending into NYC.
My flight touched down a little after 5am and as the plane got closer and closer to North American soil I watched the ever present glow of the city bleed orange into the night sky and reminded me of striking a layer of clay amidst rich dark soil. The number of lights shining up at me was unbelievable - like trying to count the number of beams bouncing off the mirrors of a disco ball.
Customs and immigration was a breeze. They didn't even bat an eyelash at the multiple kilos of herb (yerba mate) I transported into the country. Before long I was on a bus operated through my airline that shuttles customers directly from JFK to Elizabeth, NJ where Mike picked me up. He flew into NJ that same morning so we spent the next few days decompressing from tour and travel at his mother's house before hopping on a bus to NYC before transferring and heading upstate to Syracuse.
We arrived in Syracuse, relaxed for a night and before I knew it we were piling into the car for the drive to Buffalo for Caleb's graduation. Somewhere in the car my parents divulged that all three of my brothers would be at the graduation. This was a rare and exciting occasion. Caleb's graduation was nice, the wacky commencement speaker had lots to say about Egyptian tombs, space shuttles, aliens, vortexes, and Rosetta Stones. The rain held out just long enough for us to proudly parade the graduate around snapping pictures. Mike, my three brothers, and I went out later that night to celebrate where I proceeded to get drunk off of a shockingly small amount of beer and a few whiskey shots. I kicked ass at darts, tried to wrestle Mike in the street and failed, and then returned to the hotel.
The next day my family went international, crossing the border to Canada for a stroll along Niagara Falls. I was outraged when I found turnstiles as we were walking back across the border charging us $.50 to re-enter the United States. I threw a mini-fit about the legitimacy of being forced to pay money to enter my own country when I wasn't even sure I wanted to re-enter in the first place. My family and Mike assured me I was being ridiculous so I had Mike fork up the money and eventually shut my mouth.
Back in Skaneateles we spent the next 10 days working on the lawn to help out my temporarily one-armed wonder of a mother. Actually Mike did most of the lawn work while I ran errands. Together Mike and I did our best Julia Child. We whipped up homemade mango and habanero salsa, toasted our own tortilla chips, stuffed empanadas with 3 different fillings, baked multi-seed and roasted garlic whole wheat bread, toasted delectable granola and lovingly prepared meals for my parents. I felt a little like Cinderella, but I really didn't mind.
Eventually we were all piled in the car again and headed to MA. My mom and I were attending a dear friends Bridal Shower and Mike and dad were just along for the ride. We spent the first night at my brother and sister-in-laws house where I was up until 3 in the morning preparing roasted garlic hummus, toasting pita chips, and baking red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. The following morning my mom and I attended the shower where I let my creative juices flow on the ribbon bouquet. That night Mike and I settled into the living room turned karaoke hall for a fun night of friends and questionable Thai food.
After a few days in Boston we boarded another bus back to NJ for a few more days and eventually headed to Philly. Philly was filled with BBQ's, baseball games, lots of must-have culinary experiences, moving out of apartments and crashing at friends houses. After 2-weeks of fun and indulgence in the city of brotherly love I am back in NJ once again. It seems that it never stops, but I can't complain. I have become quite fond of my gypsy lifestyle. 7.5 months living out of my backpack and counting...
