02JAN2020 – DAY 20: THE FEELS

As I was no longer part of the group, I made sure I woke up in time to see them off as they headed out on their way to Rotorua doing the tour I just completed in reverse. I quickly chatted with several members of the group highlighting my experiences from the first part of the trip. I provided recommendations as I recounted my wonderful adventures while holding back tears. The 15min call for wheels up came too soon. I quickly handed out sticky notes I had written up the night before with my contact info as my phone was still somewhere in the Franz Josef Glacier…! The goodbyes were all too brief but memories of this most fantastical vacation remain! As the bus rolled away, I stood on the sidewalk waving like mother to her child on the first day of school. The tears started rolling and I just let them stream down my face as the the feels began to take over. I grabbed my suitcase and began walking down the street towards the bus stop. I took a final video of myself explaining how much fun this trip was for me. As sad as is was to be leaving, this trip to New Zealand was exactly what I needed! The bus brought me to the airport where I checked my bag and waited for the 12hr flight that would take me from AKL to SFO. It was the single-most depressing part of the trip: no phone, no music, no communication. The emotions flooded my sore body that had endured so much over the past month and a half, it was all I could do to stare at the screen in front of me watching the plane icon inch its way across the Pacific Ocean. At SFO, I headed to the gate for my connecting flight back to BOS. In the nearby atrium, I used one of the local payphones (yes, I too was surprised these still existed) to call home. I was half-expecting the call to go to voicemail since who in their right mind would pick up an incoming call from the San Francisco airport? My amazing dad, that’s who! We talked briefly before I had to catch my flight. As I hung up, I realized I had never actually used a payphone before (usually I just check the coin slot for free money)! Upon boarding the plane I felt restless and was unable to sleep, so I did what any logical person would in my situation: watch Star Wars Episode VIII 3 times on other peoples screens without subtitles or sounds. When I landed in BOS, I grabbed my suitcase from the bag carousel and took the shared van back home. With all of the emotions still coursing through me, I decided what I needed was a good old-fashioned nap. And I slept…