I did it. I got on the plane in Bangkok and eventually found my way back home to Seattle. The first week was rough. In one word: Jetlag.

There also was a boulder of expectations and self-doubt slowly crushing my ribs, forcing me to lie on the floor of my dad’s house while listening to The National and old Belle & Sebastian on repeat.

But eventually I managed to get my bum off the couch and embrace the beauty of being home. The view of lake, the mountains. My friends. Hanging out with my family.

One thing about being home is that everyone has questions.

Top 5 questions I get asked since being home:

Q: What was your favorite place?

A: Lately I’ve been going with Myanmar as my best answer. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia all get honorable mentions for greatness. But it’s a really, really hard question to answer.

Q: Is it weird being back?

A: Yep. It’s a process of readjustment. On the plus side, I have gotten over the constant fear of being crushed by a massive SUV (because those things are as big as a Southeast Asian apartment).

Q: How long are you back for? Are you back for forever?

A: Forever-ever, ever-ever? I wouldn’t got THAT far. But my plan is to stay put for a wee bit. Some openly question whether I can do it. Their cynicism is well-placed but does nothing to curb my daydreams of making a run for it back to Asia.

But I have no money so that limits my options. And quite frankly, I would like to get some sort of career established before planning my next adventure. Maybe try to stick to my New Year’s resolutions related to work.

Q: Where are you going next?

A: I just got back! But maybe China (Oh hey Yunnan Province, how you doin’?) or Southern Vietnam. Island hopping in Malaysia or Indonesia. Honestly, I have no freakin’ idea. As with much of my life, I just make this stuff as I go along.

Q: What about the blog?

Yeahhhhh this part I don’t quite know what I should do. I have a treasure trove of half-written blog posts so expect to see those slowly sprinkled on the world wide web. I do sincerely all the support and blog love so don’t give up on me yet!