Homeward Bound

My buddy Chris went back to the U.S. just a few days ago. We had a big send-off and Soi 8 isn't the same without him. Since his arrival in March he's been a good friend and a solid bud. The other thing about his departure is that it really opened my eyes to how soon I'll be leaving. It was recently brought to my attention that many of you don't know exactly when that is. Well, tickets have been booked and I'll be back on American soil on Dec. 17th. I actually leave Thailand on the morning of the 15th, but I'm making a little stop in Hong Kong so I can attend Margy and Justin's wedding (very cool). Then I go Shanghai->Chicago->Boston. According to my itinerary, the flight from Shanghai to Chicago takes -1 hour which will certainly be weird. I leave at 6:00pm and land at 5:00pm on the same day!

This isn’t gonna be a big retrospective post about my amazing time in the Thailand. I still have a lot of time left and a lot of living left to do. I actually just saw the Grand Palace for the first time last week! (Chris and I decided that if we both lived in Bangkok for so long, we might as well see it’s biggest tourist attraction.) This post is just to say that the idea of coming home is starting to build. Making mental lists of the first things I’m gonna do/eat; the people I can’t wait to see; and most of all who and what I’m gonna miss the most. When I left the U.S., I was pretty certain that I’d return before too, too long. Now it’s different. Now I’m not sure when/if I’ll ever be back here again and that’s not easy to handle.

Much Love
j