Life after studying abroad

I've been back from Australia for nearly a month now. It feels strange when I think about it. The memories are still fairly fresh, the connections I made still strong, and yet it all seems so far away. Perhaps it is because I know there's no going back. Sure, I can see my friends again someday, and I can visit Perth again in the future, but there is no going back to the life that I had there for those five months; the same people won't be there, I'll never be there under the same circumstances again, and the relationships I had with people have been forever changed. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just how it is. We've gone from "irl" to virtual, and that really changes dynamics in a relationship. However, just because you're not physically together anymore and the contact you have with each other is primarily over the phone/internet, it doesn't mean it's not real. Because it was real at some point and if you choose for it to be so, it can continue to be a real friendship, a real connection. Maybe I'm the only one who has a hard time grasping that, but reminding myself every so often makes it easier to be away from the people I grew so close to while abroad. For indeed, it has been hard!

So what have I been up to since I've been home? For the most part, I've been unwinding at home, processing through the times I've had and going through pictures. I started driving again after a whopping two years of not being behind the wheel, and I've picked it up again very quickly and rediscovered the freedom and joy of coasting along while listening to some good music in the car. I've spent pretty much every weekend so far camping with my parents. I went through a few days where I was very sad about not being in Australia, so I made myself busy by doing a huge purge of my bedroom and throwing out a lot of old stuff that I don't use anymore. Let me tell you, it was therapeutic. 

Last week I had the privilege of being a mentor for the Washington Aerospace Scholars residency, which is phase two of a two-part program for high school juniors to learn about aerospace engineering. It provides great experience and provides amazing opportunities to learn about the industry, explore career options, and build valuable study skills, teamwork skills, and lots of fun. The first part is an online class during the school year, so the program isn't just about fun; it's hard work. As an alum, I was really excited to act as a mentor to this year's students, giving them pointers and insights during their project work over the course of the residency week. It was interesting to be on the other side of the action, so to speak, because I felt as though I was dead weight on the team by not helping with the workload; then I realized I wasn't actually a member of the team and that my job was to supervise their work, not actually do any of it! Still, I was proud of my team as I watched them go through what I did a few years ago, with grace and some tiny freak-out sessions during which there was some yelling and frantic arm-waving. But that's all part and parcel!

Some pictures of the places I've been to the past few weeks:

Deception Pass

 Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

Birch Bay

Grayland beach area

Westport

 Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

 Cape Flattery, Neah Bay

Cape Flattery is the northwestern-most point of the continental United States.
In this picture I'm sitting right on the edge of the country, looking out
at the Pacific Ocean at the rest of the world

That's all I've got for now, so until next time!

~ JP