Halfway There

So it turns out, a lot can happen in six months. Two of my oldest and best friends had their weddings. One of my closest friends since sixth grade got engaged and subsequently, relocated from LA to Boston. Another one of my good friends bought her first home with her boyfriend. My sister and The Russian moved into a new house in the Bay Area. My sweet Sadie Lady (my family's dog of fourteen years) passed away. There have also been break-ups, career changes, new boyfriends & girlfriends, fun group vacations and plenty of birthdays since March 16th. This is officially the longest I've ever been away from home. In some ways, it seems like a painfully long time to be away; in most ways, it feels like the months have flown by.

"I met a girl who kept tattoos for homes that she had loved. If I were her, I'd paint my body 'til all my skin was gone." - Something Corporate

Since leaving California, I've been lucky enough to find so many short term "homes that I loved" along the way. One thing I've learned about myself on this trip is that I can get very comfortable, very quickly almost anywhere, as long as I have some friends to play with (and ideally, a beach to play on). There was the Evershine Guesthouse in Goa, where I became instant life-long friends with Cat from England and Alice from Holland. I had an amazing three weeks in May traveling through Thailand with Erin from Australia, who I met as soon as I put my backpack down at the Pineapple Guesthouse in Karon Beach. The highlight of the trip was probably my "home" in Vilnius with Asta and Ramune, where I was so warmly welcomed and driven literally all over the country to meet relatives and see the highlights of Lithuania. And then there was "Sin-ville" with my CCPP cohorts. Similar to the way I still feel about my fellow abroad students from Madrid, a unique and strong bond was formed during that month we had together. I'll always have a smirk on my face when I reminisce about the Cambodian chapter of my trip. =)

While I feel incredibly lucky to have had these mini "homes" along the way, nothing compares to the parts of this trip that included loved ones from my real home. Being able to share this traveling experience with my Mom, Dad, Kate and Jess was more rewarding than I could ever imagine- and I think it made them feel better about my "adventure" as well, being able to witness it firsthand. Also, the generosity of people like Caren in Copenhagen and Liane in Germany allowed me to experience some of the more expensive locations of my trip with someone I already know and adore, without breaking the bank.

I could easily go on and on about what an enlightening, happy, adventurous, fulfilling, surprising, sunny and eventful six months I've had so far, but I think this post will be best summed up with a few of my favorite memories from the past six months. Enjoy!

Celebrating Uncle Jonas' 80th Birthday with a room full of relatives I never knew I had (April)









Fourth of July/Buckets & Paint Party at JJ's in Sihanoukville (July)









Spending the day exploring Gili Trawangan with Jessica (August)









Black Moon Party (August)









Sunset at Angkor Wat (June)









Biking through German countryside with Liane (May)













I hope you've enjoyed reading about the past six months as much as I've enjoyed living it. Next Wednesday, the Southeast Asia chapter of this journey will end, as I head over to Sydney to explore a brand new continent.

One love,
Maura