Roller Coaster Ride

“Once you have traveled, the voyage

never ends, but is played out over and 
over again in the quietest chambers.

The mind can never break off from the journey.”
–Pat Conroy 

I think I have reached the final stop on the I'm-ready-to-go-home bus! I didn’t quite expect this when we left Ohio; then again there have been a lot of things I didn’t expect. The stress of travel is by far the most disconcerting. It makes you feel uprooted and unstable, going from place to place. While Cuenca has been a fairly stable location, it still isn't home. This whole trip has knocked me off balance a bit, as it has everyone else in the group. It’s much like a roller coaster ride. There is a big hill at the beginning that scares you half to death. I was definitely scared half to death when we were getting ready to leave. I’m actually always scared on the way up the hill. The clicking of the car on the rails as it climbs higher and higher terrifies me. However, I do enjoy the way down. The thrill of the height and the speed with which you fly down the hill makes it exciting. I was definitely excited when we were traveling on the first part of the trip. The ventures to the cloud forest and the rainforest were amazing, but the time goes by so fast!

I think this trip is like the Magnum roller coaster at Cedar Point Amusement Park. Most coasters have one big hill at the beginning and that’s it. That is the biggest thrill. The Magnum is a favorite coaster of mine because it has substantial hills throughout the ride, although the first hill is the highest. The hills continue to vault you up high and drop so fast that your stomach feels as if it is upside down in your throat. The stress and excitement of the trip have been like these ups and downs. The uphill is a mounting stress level from constantly moving from place to place, all of them new and unfamiliar. It makes you unsure of what to expect and cramps you together in confined transportation methods with nineteen other people. Therefore each new location or experience had a level of stress mounting beforehand. The drop is the excitement of being able to see a world I used to dream of. Every insect, animal, plant, flower, and climate is new. The coaster tosses you around bends and upside down. I definitely would classify parts of the trip as upside down, at least for me. This isn’t because the worlds are different but because it has taken my comfort zone and thrown it out the window! So much for feeling in control of my situation! By the time the coaster jolts you to a stop, wind-blown and discombobulated, you are dazed and confused. You get out of the car and stumble your way down the exit ramp. By the time you reach the bottom, your head has cleared a little bit and your body is catching up. This trip is hydraulically braking to a stop! There is only a week until we are home. When we get home, we might stumble around a bit discombobulated, but it will wear off. We are about to be walking down that exit ramp a little dazed. However, when we reach the bottom and our heads have cleared, we will be able to reflect even deeper on the experience. Looking back is often the best way to learn. “Hindsight is 20/20." When my head finally clears, I will be able to synthesize the cultural, social, and economic information I have gained. I will be able to apply lessons learned in different areas of my life. And then, finally, I will be able to see the true value of my stay in Ecuador.