It is nearly impossible to summarize the last year. The last ten years of my life have been dedicated to medical training, relentlessly progressing from one stage to the next. When I realized I would have a six-month break between fellowships, I wasn't sure exactly what I would do. All of the doors I had carefully lined up seemed to close. And the windows that opened up instead were awesome.
We travelled across the country in our trailer, visiting over 30 national parks. We took a trip to Alaska, which was absolutely incredible. We spent six weeks in Burundi, working at Kibuye Hospital. William built bilirubin lights for premature babies, and I operated and taught orthopedics. On a weekend trip to Kenya, we saw some of the most spectacular animals I have ever seen.
After a few weeks back in the States, we packed up (carry-ons only) and flew to Australia, followed by New Zealand. We had a studio apartment in Auckland, and I completed a six-month ortho trauma fellowship. During this time, we had some fantastic adventures, including multiple trips to the South Island, a visit to American Samoa, scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef, and relaxing in the Cook Islands. After our time in New Zealand ended, we started our Grand Tour, visiting 13 countries in 60 days. Now that it's over, it's hard to believe we accomplished all we did during one trip. Some thoughts along the way:
Language is a funny thing. We came across dozens of languages in our travels. Words are just meaningless vocalizations if you can't understand them. How strange is it that we can form these sounds which allow people to communicate? How beautiful it is that we have the ability to make ourselves known, and how frustrating it is when we can't. Listening to all the different languages was humbling and made me appreciate that English is so well known across the globe.
Cultures are different, but people are the same. We experienced so many different cultures, some similar to our own, and some vastly different, like Japan and the Middle East. However, I realized that all toddlers, no matter what race or culture, unintentionally try to get themselves killed on a daily basis. And exasperated mothers across the globe prevent them from doing so. Young children are very much the same everywhere. They throw temper tantrums; they get sticky stuff on themselves and are ridiculously clumsy. It was amusing to find this was the same no matter where we went.
There's really no place like home. The last place we called home was Nashville, TN. Even then, we were only there for a year, and we knew we were leaving, so it didn't feel like we had roots. We loved traveling and getting to experience so much. But we missed community and friendship. We are excited to build a new home (more on that in the next post).
One question I have gotten frequently since our return is, "Where was your favorite place?"
Wow, that is a hard question. Favorite for what?
Hiking? Switzerland
Food? Japan
History? Italy
Scenery? Croatia
City? Singapore tied with Salzburg
Waterfalls? Norway
Overall experience? Scotland
William has a much simpler answer. His favorite country was Japan, and his favorite food was in Seoul. He probably would tell you he disliked all the countries where I made him hike a lot.
These are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.
I hope you enjoyed reading about all our adventures. I had so much fun writing it all down, and I know I will treasure these posts and our videos for years to come.
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