Home Safe

After a 21-hour flight, we're back home! I didn't anticipate that I would anticipate culture shock on my return! It's been a stranger transition than I thought it would be. I had a moment where I forgot what the conversion rate for dollars was, and spent a minute just staring at the money in my hand. It felt so weird to be holding dollar bills!

Another one of those moments was a realization I had while driving back from the airport. It really took a lot of effort to remember all the rules after a month of not needing to worry about it. If public transportation were easier here, I would choose to go that route over using a car. 

Jet lag has also been more of a problem than I thought it would be. I work night shift and hoped for a smoother transition due to that. But I'm still four or five hours off-kilter. It gives me a new appreciation for the difficulties that flying for such a long distance causes, and how I could avoid them more easily in the future. 

All that said, I had such a wonderful trip! This was the experience of a lifetime, and I'll always remember it. It will inform my musicianship and experience as a person going forward. I'm so grateful for the opportunity. I'm also glad to be home and richer in experience. I couldn't have done it without the aid of so many people; thank you all so much. I'm so excited to travel more in the future as time and finances permit.