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After 48 hours in airports upended by severe weather in Europe and on the East Coast capped off by a 9 hour time change it is strange to be home.  I have travelled enough to know that the first week or so after getting back is an important part of the adventure.  Time to get food and temperature body settings adjusted, time to rest, catch up on sleep, see the family and generally just sit around and think.  

It is strange to come back to the office and see the same project names on the board, to get into traffic on the way to work in the exact place I remember it from before.  It is a trip to feel like you have been to the edge of the world and back while barely a blip occurred back here.  

I had the best breakfast in the world in Brussels airport, they have better bacon than us, perfectly soft scrambled eggs, a warm whole wheat bun with Belgian butter and a perfect coffee.  Since then I have had a burger, a root beer and half a gallon of Clover milk with Honey Nut Cheerios.  All my cravings satisfied, it is time to reflect on living in West Africa for the last two months.  There is so much to process.  The big stuff first; I am not nearly as tough as 1) I thought I was, 2) I used to be, 3) as West Africans.  Life is so hard for so many people in so many different ways.  For us it is traffic and keeping up with the pace of life in the Bay Area.  We are resolved to it by the obligations of our past but in the meantime we have become spoiled in luxury of choices and comforts.  We stress about keeping up with it all, but for most of us without really having any question about food or health security.  

When you feel lucky to eat once a day.  When you are resolved to living without any government infrastructure and that you are on your own, when day to day life means scratching out a living selling your one farm product or re-selling a few store items or eating cassava without much else because there is nothing available.  When these things are your reality, withoutmuch hope for change, it is amazing to see such a happy and hopeful society.  

Liberia has a new president and is full of hope.  It will be interesting to follow their progress over the next few years.  I wish them the best and am hopefull that all of the resilient and strong people I met are committed to a peaceful future.  

The bike is being turned back into a commuter.  The bags are cleaned and put away waiting for the next adventure that is not even on the horizon yet.  As of now I am preparing to be one of four speakers at an adventure night on Monday.  You are invited  to come and hear us speak of our adventures.  Check out my Facebook page or contact me for details if you are interested.  Meanwhile I will continue to process and try to make sense of what I just experienced.  

Thanks