After five dream-like weeks in Australia, I flew back home to Canada on October 12th. Unsurprisingly, returning home was rough. I'd been dealing with a flurry of emotions the whole time I was there: excitement, anticipation, hunger, confusion, annoyance, exhaustion, intimate, and distant are just a few. Going home just made those emotions a lot more prominent, and even more difficult to navigate.
Obviously, leaving Ethan after spending thirty-seven days together was simultaneously depressing and disorienting. However, having a plan to see each other in the next few months, hopefully long-term, makes the separation slightly more bearable. When I returned home, my family wasn't as excited to see me as I imagined they would be. As taken aback as I was, I reminded myself that they had their lives to live in Canada while I was living my life in Australia.
Perhaps the most surprising thing I was upset about when returning home, was realizing how much less I had blogged during the trip than I originally planned to. At first, I thought I was just being lazy, and not committing to "Journey With Janalyn" as much as I should've. However, the more I tried to write, the less inspired and capable I felt. Part of the reason I couldn't complete a blog post was because I was putting too much pressure on myself. The other reason, the deeper reason if you will, is that I found it hard to write about the trip since I didn't want to accept that certain aspects of it were over while I was still experiencing Tasmanian life. This dread about writing about the trip only grew as Ethan and I did more things that I couldn't bring myself to blog about. I kept telling myself that I would get a few more done before the trip ended. Unfortunately, the trip was over before I knew it. I flew back home with only four Tasmania blogs posted for my handful of faithful readers to see.
Having had a few days to reflect on the trip now that it's over, I've decided I still wish to document my experience on here. Not only will it be a great way for me to appraise my time in Tasmania, it will also be a guide of sorts for people planning on taking a trip to Tasmania as well. Most importantly, I believe these blogs have the potential to inspire people to travel to wherever it is they've always wanted to go.
I have lots to say about Tasmania, I just haven't been able to find the right words yet. Slowly, but surely, I'll figure out how to turn my thoughts into more blogs. Hopefully you'll all stick around to read them.
Wishing you the smoothest and safest of travels,
Jana