Believe it or not but we were not devastated when we boarded the plane for Dallas. We have received some kind emails from friends who hope we aren't too depressed about getting to the States and starting real life again.Most likely these heartfelt emails are sent from a desk piled with paper in some damp office in heart of British summer.Perhaps if we were arriving to similar conditions we would feel the same but instead we arrived in sunny Dallas to a warm welcome and an incredibly cheap (and wonderfully luxurious) Bed and Breakfast that also comes with lunch and dinner.

For the day following we marveled at all things first-world.We perused the amazingly clean supermarket, laughed at billboards advertising personal injury lawyers, gawked at some super-sized human beings and slept in a soft bed with at least 10 pillows with smiles on our faces.Returning to the comfortable world of American reality seemed oddly surreal and still does. But more about Dallas in the next update…

A couple of days after arriving in Dallas we picked up a rental car and drove to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to pay an overdue visit to a good friend from Reed College.Neale, Karin (his lovely wife, also a Reedie) and their beautiful 14-month old son Rainier were waiting and prepared to reintroduce us to 'southern hospitality.' Our time together was mostly spent eating delicious Cajun food, playing with Rainier, watching the occasional shameful reality show (I promised not to reveal which one) and wiling away the hours drinking and talking about everything and anything.In just a few short days the years between seeing one another fell into a void and it was like we had never been apart.

And as if this re-connection was not enough, we stole away for a night and went into New Orleans to see another couple, Andrew and Tina who we met in Rio. Having lived in area for several years they new all the best places and proceeded to take us on at trip around town that excited the senses: raw oysters sprinkled with Tabasco sauce, crawfish risotto and pecan pie followed by brass and harmonic heavy jazz and later soulful classics.We felt fortunate to cross paths with them again and were awed by their hospitality (for the second time!).

The next morning we woke up groggy but had one more visit to make before heading back to Baton Rouge.As chance would have it, an old friend Luke Jones who I met in high school with was in New Orleans for a conference and had some time free.Meeting up for some world famous ham at Mother's we caught up on the highlights from the past several years and exchanged news on other familiar names.Again, it had been years since we had spent any time together but before long we were laughing about old times and it was like nothing had changed.

Somewhere along the 500 miles back to Dallas it occurred to me what was unique about those visits - we weren't saying long goodbyes.Instead we were staying things like,"I'll call you," "I'll see you in a few weeks," and "You must come and see us in New York." Traveling all of this way to get here was not about getting to a destination but about reconnecting with people who have always seemed far away and already they feel closer.

Rachelle & Antony