dtravelsround

Escaping Suburbia

I woke up early the day of my planned road trip out of Suburbia with Jason. Perhaps my body clock had yet to adjust … perhaps I was excited to get out of my house, to get out of my county, to get out and SEE something I hadn’t seen in … well, years. IContinue reading “Escaping Suburbia”

Adjusting to American life

“D, what’s wrong? You don’t look too good,” Mom said to me as we sat at the kitchen table following dinner a few days after my arrival. She was right. I wasn’t good. I was far from it. The day before, my mom, dad and I drove up to Pennsylvania so I could say “goodbye”Continue reading “Adjusting to American life”

On being home

Once we got in the car at Dulles, I was finally able to breathe … sort of. I wistfully looked out the window as trees whizzed by, comforted to be in the car with my parents, but not sure of anything else. What happens now? Where do I go? What do I do? “Your firstContinue reading “On being home”

The toils of re-entry

I clutched my navy blue American passport in my hand, along with my customs declaration, as the United flight I was on braked hard as the wheels hit the runway. America. My heart began to race. Even faster than it had raced the entire 10 hour flight back to Washington, DC from Frankfurt. I hadn’t slept onContinue reading “The toils of re-entry”

‘Twas the night before home

September 15, 2010 I am at Frankfurt Main. I left Croatia two days after Grandma passed away. It took the entire day to get to Frankfurt — shuttle to Zadar Airport, delayed RyanAir flight, shuttle from FHN to the main airport. And, it is my official last night of my trip. Tomorrow, I head home.Continue reading “‘Twas the night before home”

Sleeping in airports — part two

I knew spending the night at Frankfurt’s airport was likely my only option. I couldn’t be bothered with the logistics of getting into town, finding a hostel or hotel, getting back to the airport … it just was not something I had any desire to put myself through. I was so close to being home.Continue reading “Sleeping in airports — part two”

The slow return to America

I arrived to the Zadar airport way too early for my liking. “This is the bus you have to take if you want to get there in time for your flight,” the receptionst at the hostel informed me. It got me there more than three hours before my flight. Maybe there will be something toContinue reading “The slow return to America”

The days after death

“These feelings won’t go away … they’ve been knocking me sideways …” For the two days after Grandma died, I walked around in a haze. Numb. Listening to the same song on repeat for 12 hours and not once getting sick of it, not once singing along. It was just background to my grief. “There’sContinue reading “The days after death”

Love, life and loss … while on the road

On September 13, 2010 at 6:15 a.m. EST the world lost an amazing woman, my grandmother. She died in her sleep and in no pain, surrounded by her husband, her son and his wife, and her daughter, my mom. And I was thousands and thousands of miles away. I knew it would happen. The possibilityContinue reading “Love, life and loss … while on the road”

Backtracking

I pulled up hostel after hostel, bus schedule after bus schedule, as I sat on my bunk bed in Zadar. I had wanted to go up the coast to the Istria region of Croatia, to hop some islands before I boarded my flight from Zadar to Frankfurt, and from Frankfurt to Washington, DC. No hostels.Continue reading “Backtracking”