Home for the Holidays

Greetings all,

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend! Although most of mine was spent in a plane or an airport, I still reached home without any mishaps and was able to see some of my family while they were in town for the holiday.

All planes and connections went smoothly, though it was quite the relay race to get me from Solheimar to Keflavik airport, Boston airport to hotel and back, then Milwaukee airport to home. I sat by some great people on my flights: one Icelandic couple who were very impressed with my rudimentary Icelandic language skills and a JetBlue pilot from the Milwaukee area (I learned more than I should probably legally know about flying a plane). My favorite part was when we flew over Greenland on Friday evening. Because we took off at 5pm and were flying east, we were chasing the sunset across the globe the whole time. This gave the whole sky an orange and pink glow. As we flew over Greenland, I looked out the window and could see in incredible detail the glaciers, mountains, rivers, and even tiny villages of this barren land. Greenland really looked like the edge of the world, the most remote place on earth. Even in all it desolation, it was still incredibly beautiful and pristine.

Greenland from above

Adjusting to life in Wisconsin again has been fun but a little overwhelming. I drove for the first time in three months yesterday, but I picked it up just like a bike. What strikes me most is only hearing English, reading all signs and instructions in English, and the mass amount of cars, people, and buildings here.

It's hard not to feel sometimes that this whole experience in Iceland was just a crazy dream that I had an now I'm just back home like I was this summer. But I know that this experience has changed and impacted me deeply, likely in ways I will never understand. I've become an informed citizen, a passionate driver for change, and a stronger person. I've made friends that will last a lifetime and seen more beautiful landscapes than I ever thought existed. It wasn't always easy, but I am so glad I had the chance to embark on this adventure and to share it with you all.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2012! That's all, folks.