So it took me a while but here it is, my final last blog! Writing from home after being around for a week now feels bizarre. Still a tiny bit surreal, thinking back on how many times I sat down in those horrific Internet cafes in Iquitos to sweat it out and write down all my kiddy filled adventures for the past year. Our actual journey home was pretty smooth, apart from nearly loosing Hannah to Peruvian Police Immigration and initial panic we all made it safe and sound back to English soil.
I've been completely utterly fine the whole month we were travelling but the minute I got on the plane and the realisation of what I was leaving behind me hit me I got really emotional. I think the two Peruvians sat next to me got way more than they bargained for with my mini breakdown, even before take off! I honestly had no idea that it was going to be such a huge shock for me, considering we'd already said the hardest goodbyes back in July when we left the Aldea, it was still pretty difficult. The really nice friendly Peruvian lady sat next me managed to cheer me up, by spending nearly the whole 5 hour flight telling me all about her grandchildren she was going over to visit in Miami and teach them Spanish and then making me promise that I would reinforce at least one foreign language with all my children. She was also adamant I had to have them quite soon to make sure I didn't forget any of my Spanish skills!
So landing in Miami, seriously sleep deprived in a massive, humongous airport, bit culture shocked by the automatically flushing toilets, hot water in the sinks and the fact that all the toilets have toilet seats, and no toilet paper bins by the side! It really is the little things that make the difference. I then somehow managed to end up going through every form of security checking possible, the naked x ray scanner, having my bags checked once at security and then again, getting to skip bag check in to go through some special queue and ending up having to empty out ALL my stuff all over the table whilst some security guard inspected everything, especially my shoebox full of standard tourist presents which he seemed to find super interesting! After all that crazy excitement we all made it safe and sound onto our Londres bound plane ride. Got to sit next to Frances, another Project Truster and wasted away the 8 hours with the surprisingly yummy plane food and 7 months worth of catch up chat.
Then London, man that was bizarre, hearing English EVERYWHERE and all 11 of us getting way too hyper and excited about the arrival lounge waiting for the bags. Aah it's too hard to try and describe how absolutely incredible it was to see my family waiting for me outside those doors. Even now the fact that they're all just here, a few rooms away all the time is awesome, you know they really truly love you when they put up with you and your seriously smelly socks in the car journey home without kicking up a fuss. How easy it been to slip back into the family routine and how they just accept all my stupid Peruvian slip ups and the fact that I'm finding it impossible to stop saying gracias to everyone-they must have really missed this.
Finally caught up with everyone as well, my first weekend back home in Manchester and I had the most incredible welcome home-surprised by aunties and friends and family friends and we all sat out in the garden, in the sunshine retelling all my Peru stories and just seeing all my family around me, it feels great to have them all here and that everyone was around so quickly to welcome me back. I reckon they'll be getting tired of my 'gap year stories' pretty soon, so I'm stretching them out as much as possible before everyone around me has had enough.
Tambien, I just want to say a massive, giant thank you to every single one of you who helped me get there, through the fund raising, putting up with all my attempts at Peruvian cooking or cake sales or just the begs and pleads. Truly, honestly from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
All of you made this year by helping me get there in the first place, because without that I wouldn't have had these experiences and become the person I now am. I got the chance to have the most amazingly, incredible, beautiful opportunity, meet some incredible people and form some unforgettable bonds with my babies, my tías, my friends and of course my Alexita who I would never have been able to get through this whole year without.
Until the start of my next travels...Hasta Pronto!!
