FEELS AMAZING TO BE HOME!!!

We had an amazing trip, saw some amazing things, and met the most amazing people. However, no matter how fun, or relaxing, or incredible a journey may be, there truly is no place like home.

This entry does not include any photos, but just a summary of our trip and some last minute thoughts.....

I really hope I have expressed just how much the country of India means to me. Even more now that I was able to experience it with the love of my life, Jaime. It is amazing to be home, but I do miss it already, too.

Our trip had quite the contrasts. We went from places in India where children were begging, stray dogs were abundant, (that was hard for me to see) and extreme poverty is just right there in front of your face. On one of the streets in Jaipur, Jaime and I saw an older homeless man scooting himself along the street on his bum because he only had one leg. Now that is an image that will stick with you forever.

Then we went to Dubai. A city in a very wealthy country. Where their one goal is to continue to outdo themselves in the way of tall buildings, or 5 star hotels. There are private islands, and buildings that had people's personal helicopter pads. It was actually quite shocking and took a while to get used to for the few hours we were there.

If you look back on my other blogs regarding smaller developing countries I have been to, I probably have said the same thing over and over again. I am so thankful and blessed, and outrageously spoiled it is ridiculous. I have everything I will ever need and have absolutely no right to complain about 'things' I don't have or the place that I live. (which I LOVE)

Most of the taxi drivers in Delhi, India lived pretty far from the city. They would leave their wives and children for months at time, carpool into the city (which could be 6 or 7 hours away by car) and work for a few months, and only get to be home for a short while. I could not imagine being away from my friends and family for that amount of time doing a thankless job like driving tourists around. But they do. And they are thankful for every customer, every tip, and every person they meet. And it is obvious. Nobody complains. They just make friends wherever they go, support their coworkers, and make the best of life until they have enough money to go home and be with their families. Then they do it all again.

For the 11 days or so we were in India. We had about 1 warm-ish shower. The rest were pretty cold. The beds were hard, and I have more bug bites than I care to mention. However, it was the most amazing experience and it really is hard to put into words just how much India can change you. I think it is the people. I think it is seeing how hard they work in such a ************ment, yet how happy everybody is, and how thankful they are to see people wanting to experience their world. When some of the girls and myself dressed up in the Sarees and went to the Taj Mahal, all the Indians were complimentary, and telling us how special it was that we were dressing like them. Countless people wanted to take their photos with us. I also think it just puts into perspective how lucky we are to live in such an amazing place, and really gives you perspective on how other parts of the world live.


Now, all that being said....Coming home from any trip always feels amazing. But this trip was especially amazing to come from because we got to come home to our Winnie. Every dog I saw on the streets of India, I just wanted to go up to and snuggle and show some love to. But I saved it all and Jaime and I showered Winnie with snuggles and kisses, and there are just now words to express how good it felt to be home with her tonight. To be with her in our amazing apartment, in our amazing city, in our amazing country. With everything we will ever need. And that is each other.

So, thank you Jaime for an amazing engagement trip. It means more to me than any piece of jewelry, no matter how beautiful or expensive it was. Now don't get me wrong, if you had gotten me an engagement ring instead of a trip, I would of course loved it, not because of what it was, but because of who it came from and what it symbolized. And that is why this trip meant so much to me. I got to experience my favorite country with my favorite person, and have memories that will stay with me and shine much brighter than any diamond ever could. I love you.

So this ends my blog on our engagement trip. If you have been reading my long-windedness this whole time, I thank you sincerely. I hope you got a little feel for the amazing places we saw and the events we experienced.

Our next vacation will probably not be until our honeymoon, so until then......

-Becky