Since I arrived in Afghanistan, I have been counting the days until I could go on R and R. For those not familiar with the term it means rest and relaxation and amounts to what is a two week vacation from the stress of being deployed. The Army flies you anywhere you want to go and you get 15 days from the time you touch down to enjoy the comforts of home. 

The journey home can be stressful and full of long flights on cramped airplanes. In total I spent approximately four days traveling home and about two days getting back to Salerno. During the trip home I discovered that I get very motion sick on planes. One would think at my age I would know if I was prone to motion sickness, but in the past I've always attributed it to hunger or reading a book. It wasn't until I was actually throwing up on one of these plane rides that I said to myself 'hmm, you're either motion sick or sick sick and I doubt it's the latter.'  The upside is I bought pills for motion sickness and didn't have any problems after that.

For those about to go on R and R, prepare to be exhausted once you get home. It was extremely difficult to sleep on the plane home and with the time difference my parents day was just beginning when mine would normally be ending. I forced myself to stay awake because I knew if I didn't get accustomed to the time difference quick, I'd miss a lot of things. That first night I fell in bed at around 8:30 pm and was in a coma til morning. I woke up once and was extremely disoriented. I walked into a wall trying to make my way to the bathroom.

I took the words rest and relaxation extremely seriously. All I wanted to do was relax and visit with friends and family. To do accomplish my goal, my parents and I headed down to the British Virgin Islands where I could sit on a beach and sip daiquiris. We swam and snorkeled and then sat and read books. I have been on the go pretty constantly for the past 6 months and to be able to sit and do nothing but exist was pure heaven.

Once back home in the states, I visited with family and friends and just caught up on what each had been doing for the past few months. At first it was a little awkward being around everyone back home, but once I relaxed it became easier to talk to people. While at home everything was familiar and strange at the same time. For some reason I had expected things to remain the same but like life home changes. There were new buildings everywhere and other businesses had closed down. People had new friends, new jobs, new lives. It was a little strange at first but once I got used to it, pretty nice too.

I hadn't expected to get the reception I was given either. When I visited my grandmother and grandfather, they introduced me to people I had never met but who somehow knew all about me and what I was going through. It was odd but also made me feel extremely appreciated. Strangers I had never met before knew of me through my blog or my  families stories and genuinely wished me well. My parents also went out of their way to introduce me to people they had been telling me about. It meant a lot to receive the support and well wishes of the folks back home. 

Being away from home for this long and then visiting it for a brief time has reminded me of all the things I hold dear and exactly why it is that I am doing this job. Before I left for R and R, I was afraid that going home would make me lose focus. If anything it has helped me tighten down the hatches and focus on getting through the next few months so I can go home again.