ok, here is the other blog as promised.... and when i say blog i mean post, sorry ;)
alrighty, so to start things off i'm just gonna get right to it and then i'll explain things more.... after much thought, reflection, and reviewal of my budget, i have decided to shorten my trip and come home earlier. so i'll stay about 2 months total instead of 3. i feel really confident about my decision and i'm feeling much more at peace about things. my thoughts about shortening the trip started fairly early on. I came into this adventure very naive, which i knew, and was ok with it. but the down side to that is that things have been a bit more of a challenge to handle b/c i wasn't prepared. so when we missed our train to vienna during week 1 i was like, "i don't think i can do this..." and in those low moments of the trip (and there have been a few when we can't seem to catch a break or we're lost ALL day or something else annoying happens) i want to call it quits, but i press on and things eventually turn around. but even though things turn around, the desire to go home still remains. i have always sort of prided myself (which is probably my first mistake) on being very independent (shout out to kelly clarkson ;) and i have always handled changed well. but something has felt different during this trip. even before i left i was much more emotional about leaving people and stuff like that. so i think that in the good times and bad i've been craving the "normal" and i want to be able to share it with everyone back at home. which is why i blog so much, b/c its my connection with everyone and i crave that! so yeah, the "homesick" feeling was a bit unexpected.... but not necessarily a bad thing. its good to miss the ones you love right?!?!? :)
but that, added to some other things - like being in completely unknown territory CONSTANTLY, coupled w/ being directionally retarded and getting lost all the time (but i am getting better w/ maps so thats a plus.... still don't know north/south/east/west though...), living out of a freaking backpack, never feeling settled, being tired, having a diet that consists of 85% flippin bread!! **sidenote, i attribute not getting sick yet to JUICE PLUS!!! seriously!!**, being an indecisive person and having to make decisions ALL the time, long train rides, a serious lack of churches (other than ones to tour) and being fed anything spiritual, and oh yeah - the big fact that everything is costing more than i planned so my money is going quicker than expected. so even if i WANTED to stay for 3 months i don't think i could afford to.... so sorry to make this sound way more dramatic than it really is b/c for the most part it has been great!!! but it has been a bit taxing mentally, physically, spiritually, and pyschologically. so even though this is technically a "vacation" it doesn't really feel like one (except for beach days) and i'm sort of spent and its just been a little over 3 weeks.....
so when i started to feel like this i emailed my fam to get their advice b/c i didn't want to jump the gun and wimp out. b/c i was worried that peeps would think i couldn't hack it.... which technically i couldn't. but thats ok. and my fam made a good point that if i don't get to see EVERYTHING i want to this time around, there will be other times in my life when i will travel.
so yeah, thats that :) so now i'll be coming home mid septemberish instead of mid october...... i will let you all know when once i know my final date. if you're still reading thanks for sticking with me thru these 2 ridicuously long blogs..... sometimes i'm rather long winded ;)
hopefully i will let you know tomorrow that all my pics have been added to snapfish. whoop whoop!!!! and a couple funny stories that i keep forgetting to share... :)
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18 comments:
Bring it on home, Lady... [whenever yer ready] {but NOT before}
Where to after Roma?
I'm picturing you doing your oddly self-conscious-yet-confident hair flip gesture...as a way of Exhaling, Jodi-style, so relieved to have published your feelings to all of us who love you. I think you are AMAZING to be so vulnerable to open yourself up as you do. Some people who appear to be so wysiwyg* are actually wearing a mask. You, Ms. Crouton, are the real deal. *what you see is what you get.
Jode, Jode, Jode! You sell yourself short. You have had a totally awesome adventure. Whoop! Whoop! You should have no regrets regardless of when you come home. Your the bomb!
Love you sweetie.
If Nice was nice. What is the aroma of Roma?
Jodi---I'm glad you and Sarah have shared in this adventure together...it was YOUR idea, and even though I was slightly apprehensive about it, I was glad Sarah had this opportunity. You took an idea and ran with it, and now you know what you want!...and now you have another idea so run with that too! There's no failure here by cutting your trip short...you now have a better idea of what you want! By the way...I just love reading your blog!
Jodi, what you have been doing is amazing and so inspirational. I love reading you blogs cause in a weird way...I feel like i'm there with ya.
I appreciate your honesty in how you're feeling and choosing to come home a month early. I LOVE that you are being real about this. That's what it's all about.
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
"still don't know north/south/east/west though..."
Please thank yormama and yorgrandmama Nibbs for that jewel.
Keep the river in sight, remember moss grows on the North side of the trees, and the sun rises in the East and sets in the West (even in Italy).
Plus, the Metro ALWAYS knows which direction it is headed!!! 8-)
Well I for one will give a resounding WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE when you hit American soil...just because I like having you close to me :)
We will be glad to have you back sooner! We miss you.
Jodes!!!! Me and gym crush are in full support of your earlier arrival! Two months is still a very long time to be without your roomie, and my family wants our non-hubby back!!!
Yeah yeah for you coming home early!! And I love that you ask your family for their advice in your important decisions. I need to get off my rear and kick my running training into high gear so I can be primed and ready for our running dates when you get back! :) And don't worry about the "north, south, west, east" confusion, I still am not good at that and have been involved in several foot chases where dispatch will ask me what direction the suspect and I are running in and I am like, "uh, I'm not really sure!" hahaha!
BOOOOO!!!! Stay there! if you really loved Jesus you would stay the whole 3 months!
ok, so that was fun. and being my first post on the world traveler blog, Jodi, my only question is...are the hills REALLY alive with the sound of music? I mean, I've heard that, but I don't know that I can really trust what I've seen on tv.
ps - i still think you should spend the last month backpacking lake of the ozarks
obviously you don't have to cross the big pond to find lovable botards to hang out with
Yay! I'm glad you'll be home sooner. We all miss you. I am in need of a good ladies night and you are the only one who can seem to get everyone together! Part of an adventure is learning something about yourself and you realized how much you need home, family, and friends! Can't wait to see you. By the way, I laughed out loud at your last post when you talked about sleeping in the chair with a scarf as a blanket. I could just picture it!
I think you rock and can't wait to have you back!!! More travels to come which is rockin'!
J
This is not upsetting news...this is happy news!! I can't wait to have a Jodi hug :) GET HOME NOWWWWW, selfish much? Sorry!!!
Ok...don't fall for the...If you really loved Jesus thing!! I have to say that my brothers idea of backpacking the lake of the ozarks sounds like an adventurous trip...there are many hills!!! You come home when you are ready! I admire you for doing all you've done so far!!! See you soon!!
what's a botard?
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