Welcome to your second home

As I left home at 2:30 in the morning yesterday, I felt sad. Saying good bye yet again was hard. But, by the time I was on my flight to Bogotá, I had a sense of anticipation. I was going home. Our plane landed and I looked out at the Andes mountains, marveling at their beauty. A month away had made me forget just how breathtaking they are, or perhaps just taken away their familiarity. The sky was blue, the sun shining. As I struggled to wheel my 2 giant suitcases through customs, I squinted through the glass to the waiting area, trying to spot my friends. My face broke into a smile as I saw Bibiana and Doris waiting for me. Bibiana gave me a hug and handed me the flowers she had for me. "Bienvenida a tu segundo hogar", welcome to your second home, she said. And it was so true. I had left home. But I had come home. Not really to my house (I hope to be out of where I'm living in February, it's just a temporary solution) But, as my aunt reminded me last time I was musing about the meaning of home, "home is where the heart is." And, my heart is here, with my students, with my friends and coworkers, with the unexpected adventure that life can be here. My heart is also in the States, with my parents, my siblings, my grandparents, and all the other family members and friends who make me miss "home".

I woke this morning with a sense of peace. All my big questions for this year still remained unanswered- where I'll live, what I'll be teaching, who my co-workers will be, if and when my friends are leaving. . . But I wasn't stressed, at least not then. I was content. Content to be where I believe God wants me for the moment. Content knowing that soon I'll know the answers to my questions, and living them out over the course of the year will be exciting. Content to be back, in the land of limes and traffic jams, arepas and vallenato, laughter and waiting. Content to be in my second home.