home is where the heart is
I'm back in California. I opted to take the train from the airport and walk home instead of hailing a taxi or shuttle, a decision that probably saved me around $30 but also caused me to not to get to my apartment until around 2 pm this afternoon. I've spent the rest of the day slowly unpacking, enjoying having cable and internet again, and napping. Tomorrow I go back to work, and while I'm not dreading it, I do wish my vacation could have lasted a little longer.
I already miss friends and family, and I especially miss being at home in Alpharetta. I IMmed Ethan soon after I got in, and he responded, "you home?" "back in ca, yes," I typed back, because it felt weird referring to our apartment in Mountain View as home -- home is my parents' house in Georgia, and I just left it! And it's strange to be back on Pacific time, when everyone else I've interacted with over the past two weeks is on Eastern time. Three hours doesn't really seem like a big time difference until later in the evening. It's 9 here, which is still early for me. But it's midnight on the east coast, and people will be winding down and getting ready to go to sleep soon.
To everyone I got to see over the break, it was wonderful to spend time with you. To everyone I didn't get to see, I'm sorry! I hope we can hang out next time. I plan to be back sometime during the summer, when Alan will be interning with a law firm in Atlanta.
And to my mom and dad and sister: I love you. I felt like I got to spend more time with my family than I usually do during visits back to Georgia; there were days and evenings where I opted to stay at home instead of going out, and even though sometimes all we did was sit around the living room and/or kitchen doing our own thing, it felt like I'd never left. It always goes by too fast, though, and I think during this particular visit, I understood more than ever why some people choose to make their homes and take jobs close to family, close to where they grew up. The sense of familiarity, of security and convenience, is strong... and it's something I don't fully appreciate until I go back.
Happy New Year, everyone. There'll be pictures and stuff up on Flickr soon.