Before we left the shop, we had one last task to complete. On the ceiling above the register is a spiral of names; a record of everyone who has ever stayed and worked at Atlantis Books. We added our names right behind Deborah and Morgan.
So now we're official. And we're leaving. After seven months abroad, I've booked my flight home. For quite some time, all I've been able to think about is how much I need to go home, and how much I need to be warm. I was so excited about coming back to California. Until I bought my ticket. Only seconds after pressing the purchase button, I began to have a bit of an anxiety attack. What had seemed like months now seemed like only a matter of days, I had lists and lists of things that I still wanted to do, places I needed to go, things I was dying to eat. I wasn't ready to leave, I hadn't been here long enough yet!
And even though the months now seem like days, I did have to admit that really have done quite a lot.
I had the best oysters in the world, every Sunday at the marché in Bordeaux.
I ate at the best street food in Morocco, rode a camel across the Sahara Desert at dawn, and spent the night on a train.
I roasted pizza in a three hundred year old wood burning oven.
I thought about home. A lot.
I met up with this boy I really like, and went back to my favorite place in the world.
We went to Spain, and ate ourselves silly.
Through a series of serendipitous occurrences and good friends, we went to places we never thought we'd go and finally, found ourselves here.
I went to places I loved, and to places I hated.
And now, I'm going home.
I'm so glad that I have kept this blog as a record of those experiences. It began as a way of keeping in touch with my family but now, it's really it's more of a time capsule for me. Even though I'm a bit worried about going home, this will be a means of remembering this trip and inspiring future travels. And hopefully, those travels aren't too far away!
